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Indiana Harbor and Canal
Dredging and Disposal Project

Water Treatment

An onsite water treatment plant treats the water that accumulates in the CDF.

Water Treatment Plant

An onsite water treatment plant processes CDF groundwater and dredge water. Three types of water mix within the CDF:

  1. Groundwater within the CDF
  2. Precipitation that falls into the CDF
  3. The water that comes with the dredge material

The combined water is treated to discharge limits specified in the site’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by IDEM prior to discharge to the Lake George Branch of the Indiana Harbor and Canal (IHC). Before dredging and CDF disposal began in 2012, the GCS-extracted groundwater went directly to the onsite treatment plant for treatment, but now it is pumped into the CDF and mixed before treatment.

Water treatment plant [Source: USACE]