March 10, 2017

Utility Plans To Clean Up Coal Tar Along Indiana River

A view of Fort Wayne's skyline and the St. Mary's River. - Photo by Momoneymoproblemz, CC-BY-SA-3.0

A view of Fort Wayne's skyline and the St. Mary's River.

Photo by Momoneymoproblemz, CC-BY-SA-3.0

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana utility plans to clean up contamination left by a coal gasification plant that operated more than a century ago.

NIPSCO crews will excavate and remove coal tar residue this fall from the St. Marys River in Fort Wayne. That contamination was generated by a plant that operated in the late 1800s and early 1900s and used coal to make a gas used for lighting in Fort Wayne.

The News-Sentinel reports NIPSCO plans to ask Fort Wayne's parks board for permission to use the grounds of a recreated 19th century military fort as a site for temporarily treating the excavated soil before it's hauled away to a landfill.

NIPSCO's remediation project is one of several the utility has done to clean up coal tar contamination.

Support independent journalism today. You rely on WFYI to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Donate to power our nonprofit reporting today. Give now.

 

Related News

Indiana bill to punish people sleeping outside fails, but language could come back
Safe Park Indy looks to add a second Indianapolis location as waitlist grows
Advocates warn election results could lead to more limits on reproductive rights