Indiana Harbor and Canal Dredging and Disposal Project

Chronology

1910, 1922, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1937, 1960 - Congress authorizes Corps to construct and maintain Indiana Harbor and Canal

1970 - USEPA established

1972 - Corps' most recent dredge event; USEPA determined in that year that open water disposal in Lake Michigan was no longer acceptable due to the polluted character of the dredge material

1975 to 1992 - Corps works on formulating an environmentally acceptable and economically feasible plan that is safe to human health for disposal of dredge material.  HQUSACE recommends that a Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) be prepared as a decision document.

1975 to present - Public meetings and information sessions held

1978 – Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978, the USEPA identifies IHC and the Grand Calumet River as a Great Lakes Area of Concern, and ranks it #1 among these areas

1987 - Community member suggests former ECI site as possible confined disposal site

1992 to June 1993 - Draft CMP prepared

1993 – USEPA and IDEM enter into a Memorandum of Agreement charging the 2 agencies with the responsibility of ensuring the proper management of the trust.

1993 to Oct 1995 - Joint USEPA-Corps Draft Environmental Impact Statement and CMP are prepared

1994 – The non-federal sponsor agency, East Chicago Waterway Management District (ECWMD), was established by an Act of the Indiana General Assembly

Oct 1995 to Apr 1996 - Public and agency review and comment period

1996 – ECWMD signs Interlocal Cooperation Agreement with City of East Chicago

Apr 1996 to Oct 1998 - Joint USEPA-Corps Final EIS and CMP prepared for public and agency review

Oct 1998 to Nov 1998 - Public and agency review and comment period

Jan 99 - CMP, that is, the Final Feasibility Report and EIS, including analysis of various disposal site alternatives, completed

2 Feb 99 - ASA(CW) approves CMP and signs Record of Decision

1999 -   CG funds furnished for CDF construction; Corps initiates design work

Mar 00 - Design Documentation Report (DDR) completed

Jul 00 – Non-federal sponsor’s financial capability analysis approved

7 Aug 00 - ASA(CW) executes Project Cooperation Agreement with the East Chicago Waterway Management District as the non-federal sponsor

Sep 00 - Eddy pump dredging demonstration at Ispat-Inland site; one year of air monitoring initiated in conjunction with the dredging

Dec 00 – Project receives National Performance Review Hammer Award, former Vice President’s Al Gore’s special recognition to teams of federal employees and their partners “whose work has resulted in a government that works better and costs less.”

Jan 01 – Held Value Engineering Study to identify ways to reduce costs while maintaining quality

Mar 01 - Non-federal sponsor places construction funds in escrow

30 Apr 01 - First annual New and Emerging Technology public information session held

25 May 01 - Corps, East Chicago Waterway Management District, IDEM and USEPA Region 5 sign Memorandum of Agreement 

May 01 – Assurance review completed of the Inspection Trench and Cutoff Wall plans and specifications

31 July 01 – Corps establishes project webpage at Chicago District website; Corps and ECWMD issue first quarterly newsletter

14 Aug 01 – Quarterly community project status information session held, hosted by Grand Cal Task Force

31 Aug 01 – Plans and specifications for the Inspection Trench and Cutoff Wall (finalized in June and July) made available to planholders for proposal preparation

30 Oct 01 – Proposals received for Inspection Trench and Cutoff Wall construction

5 to 9 Nov 01 – Evaluation board met to review Inspection Trench and Cutoff Wall proposals and make selection

Nov 01 – Corps and ECWMD issue second quarterly newsletter

6 Nov 01 – Initiated long-term air monitoring at the CDF site

15 Nov 01 – Quarterly community project status information session held, hosted by CARE

30 Nov 01 – All five long-term air monitoring stations—4 at the CDF site and one at the high school football field—are in place