Sarah Reese and Dan Carden, Times of Northwest Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Eric Holcomb signed an executive order Thursday declaring a disaster emergency for East Chicago's USS Lead Superfund site.
The declaration provides for 30 days of enhanced state assistance for the estimated 100 residents who have yet to relocate from the lead contaminated West Calumet Housing Complex, as well as other lead-impacted citizens in the affected area.
Specifically, the state will aggressively seek $2 million in federal funding to demolish West Calumet, along with additional federal resources to remediate soil and replace lead water pipes in adjacent neighborhoods.
Holcomb also ordered state agencies to seek federal approval for more lead testing sites throughout the city, promote the development of new, affordable rental housing in East Chicago and create a one-stop website for residents to keep up with federal, state and local progress reports.
"What I want to do is make sure we get this right," Holcomb said. "Putting a 30-day shot clock on our efforts, I think, will help us not just corral, but (also) focus all of our efforts — the federal, state and local efforts — on it right now."
State Rep. Earl Harris, Jr., D-East Chicago, said he was ecstatic when he learned of Holcomb's emergency declaration.
"I greatly appreciate the fact that Gov. Holcomb sees what's going on in East Chicago and realizes that the citizens need help," Harris said. "I'm so happy to hear that the state is stepping up."
Harris has been working with state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, to advance legislation in the General Assembly that would make permanent many of the services included in Holcomb's emergency order and provide additional state funding to the city and East Chicago schools.
East Chicago City Attorney Carla Morgan said Holcomb's help is appreciated and the decision is great news, because it will bring more resources into the city.
"We're working closely with the governor's office to figure out how to best help our residents," Morgan said.
U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., also lauded Holcomb's decision, saying he looks forward to combining state and federal efforts to help residents affected by the Superfund site.
"It is vitally important that we keep our focus on assisting the impacted families in East Chicago," Donnelly said.
Holcomb's predecessor, now-Vice President Mike Pence, rejected East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland's request for an emergency declaration before Pence left office one month ago.
In a letter, Pence's general counsel Mark Ahearn said the state already had provided adequate assistance.
Residents and community groups heavily criticized Pence last year for not meeting personally with those affected by the lead and arsenic contamination. His office periodically had representatives on-site.
Holcomb told The Times that he expects to visit the affected area in East Chicago in the next few weeks.
The Republican said he's also optimistic that the state's emergency response ultimately could prove to be a model for other states or localities to use in similar situations.
"We're not alone, and there could be some good news to come out of this at the end of the day," Holcomb said.
Last summer, the city told more than 1,000 residents at the West Calumet Housing Complex — located in the first of three residential cleanup zones — they had to move out after sampling revealed soil in some areas contained more than 200 times the EPA's allowable limit for lead.
Residents living at more than 1,000 properties in zones 2 and 3 have not been told to relocate, and the EPA began excavating contaminated soil from their yards in October.
The EPA has said it does not expect Trump administration changes to affect Superfund resources. However, officials said at a recent open house that funding is not yet in place for indoor cleaning in one of the cleanup zones.
Residents also learned in December that the EPA found elevated lead levels in drinking water at 18 homes in the Superfund site.
While the testing was intended to determine if excavation might cause lead in pipes to become dislodged and enter the water supply, the EPA has said it views the sampling as representative of the city's entire system.
Up to 90 percent of East Chicago's water service lines could be lead, and the EPA has recommended all the city's more than 28,000 residents should use certified water filters.