Coal Ash Toxins are Leaking into Lake Michigan and Trail Creek

- Take Action to Protect our Water!

Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) has announced partial closure plans for the coal ash pits at its coal-burning plant in Michigan City, Indiana. Coal ash is the toxic waste left after burning coal. It contains dangerous contaminants such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. Coal ash is linked to asthma, reproductive problems, heart disease, cancer, and death.

The utility’s current closure plan leaves an estimated 2 million tons of toxic coal ash “fill” behind aging seawalls. The outer wall is visibly deteriorating and leaking coal ash into Lake Michigan and Trail Creek. We believe it is only a matter of time before this wall, currently holding back the ash from ultimately erupting into the lake, fails and causes a catastrophic pollution spill.

NIPSCO’s lack of a thorough cleanup jeopardizes future site reuse, deters job creation, and poses significant contamination issues for aquatic life and local communities, already historically burdened by environmental injustice. NIPSCO must be held accountable for its mess and a proper cleanup to safeguard the collective drinking water source that more than 10 million people depend on, Lake Michigan.

We ask that NIPSCO revise its closure plan to ensure a complete and safe cleanup, which addresses the coal ash from all the onsite waste pits and the removal of the coal ash fill along the lakefront.

Sign now to help keep our lake and Northwest Indiana communities safe from coal ash pollution.