The fact that she [a citizen living near the marsh for 70 years] could go there and see birds she'd never seen before brought her to tears. We have the legacy we were left with. Now we have the opportunity to restore the environment and have a healthy economic environment as well.

- Scott Ireland, U.S. EPA project manager, 2014 address to the Lake County Advancement Committee

The sediment cleanup of Roxana Marsh is complete!

The sediment cleanup of Roxana Marsh on the Grand Calumet River is complete! Almost 600,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment were dredged and capped in the river and marshland. This project included the restoration of 19 acres of marsh habitat, returning it to the important migratory bird stopover that it once was. Birders come from far and wide to view black-crowned night herons, bald eagles, sandpipers, vireos, and a multitude of shorebirds and songbirds.

The project was administered by a large team. The funding came from a Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) partnership between EPA and the State of Indiana's natural resource agencies, which used funding from a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) settlement with eight local industries to match federal funding. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided oversight as a NRDA trustee, and The Nature Conservancy, Save the Dunes, and Shirley Heinze Land Trust provided extensive habitat restoration support.

Location

This project cleaned up sediment and restored habitat on the Grand Calumet River and adjacent Roxana Marsh between Columbus Ave. and Indianapolis Blvd., labeled #3 on the map.  

Roxana Marsh on the Grand Calumet River is located in the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern in East Chicago, Indiana.

Cleanup Process

Many sections of the river have been or are getting cleaned up through the GLLA. In addition, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is dredging 1.4 million cubic yards from the canal, and a U. S. Steel enforcement dredging project removed 788,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment in 2007.

Sediment remediated: 585,000 cubic yards
Contaminants: Heavy metals, PAHs, and PCBs
Method: Hydraulic dredging of the river, mechanical dredging of the wetlands, and capping with organoclay
When: 2011-2012
Partners: U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Cost: $48 million
Note: This stretch includes the restoration of 19 acres of Roxana Marsh, a rest-stop for migratory birds.

Long-term Benefits

• The cleanup is removing contamination from the food chain, lowering exposure for those who eat fish from the Great Lakes and helping to bring back fish populations in the Grand Calumet River.
• Improvements to the shoreline like the removal of weedy invasive plants help landscape views and fish and wildlife habitat, providing better food and shelter for native species. Migratory birds are returning to Roxana Marsh in full force.
• Trips and tours to the newly remediated sections are increasing the community's sense of place toward the river.
• Recreation on the Grand Calumet may become a reality. Local partners are investigating what is needed to make activities like kayaking, biking, and picnicking safe and feasible.

More Information

Documents and Resources
Grand Calumet River Area of Concern habitat report (PDF, 21p, 649KB) March 2014
Grand Calumet River FAQs (PDF, 12p, 5 MB) June 2013
Roxana Marsh public meeting posters (PDF, 11p, 12.3 MB) January 2012

Stakeholders
The Nature Conservancy
Shirley Heinze Land Trust
Save the Dunes
City of East Chicago
IN Department of Environmental Management
IN Department of Natural Resources
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency 
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service