Page "Calumet River" Paragraph 4

Industrial development in the Calumet River area began around the 1870s, and by 1890 the West reach of the Grand Calumet River was heavily polluted with the waste of steel mills, foundries, a meat packing plant, and glue and cornstarch factories.

Industry continued to spread along the East reach of the river between 1890 and 1910, with similar results.

These decades of unrestricted pollution have left the river sediments highly contaminated to this day.

Only sludge worms inhabit the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, indicating that severe pollution exists.

The Grand Calumet suffers from contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls ( PCBs ), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons ( PAHs ).

and heavy metals, such as mercury, cadmium, chromium and lead.

Additional problems include high fecal coliform bacteria levels, biochemical oxygen demand ( BOD ) and suspended solids, oil and grease.

These contaminants originate from both point and nonpoint sources.