Gary, Indiana, was literally built by a steel company. U.S. Steel founded the city in 1906, naming it after chairman Elbert Henry Gary, and for decades it was one of the largest steel-producing cities in the world. At its peak in the 1960s, Gary had 175,000 residents. Today, that number is around 69,000, and the city bears all the hallmarks of severe industrial decline: abandoned buildings, cratered tax base, and infrastructure built for a population two and a half times its current size.
That infrastructure includes the water system — and Gary’s water quality challenges are as layered as its history.
Lake Michigan Source Water
Gary draws its drinking water from Lake Michigan through an intake located near the city’s lakefront. Lake Michigan is one of the highest-quality large source waters in the country, but Gary’s particular stretch of shoreline has been shaped by over a century of heavy industry:
- U.S. Steel Gary Works — still operating, though at a fraction of historical capacity — sits directly on the lakefront adjacent to the water intake area
- Industrial discharges into the Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Canal, which flow into Lake Michigan near Gary, have created one of the most contaminated waterways in North America
- The Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal area is a Superfund-scale contamination zone with PCBs, heavy metals, PAHs, and oil in sediments
In April 2023, U.S. Steel’s Midwest Plant in Portage (near Gary) discharged wastewater containing hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) into a tributary that feeds Lake Michigan, triggering beach closures and public outcry. Chromium-6 is a known carcinogen — the same compound made famous by the Erin Brockovich case. While the discharge affected the Portage area more directly, it highlighted the vulnerability of Lake Michigan’s southern shore to industrial contamination events.
Gary’s Water Treatment
The Gary Sanitary District operates the city’s water treatment system. Treatment includes conventional coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and chlorination. The system draws from Lake Michigan’s relatively clean deep water, and treated water generally meets EPA standards.
However, the treatment plant and distribution system face challenges related to Gary’s fiscal constraints:
- Deferred maintenance on treatment equipment and distribution infrastructure
- Revenue shortfalls from population decline and high poverty rates (Gary’s poverty rate exceeds 30%)
- Water main breaks in an aging system with pipes dating to the early 1900s
- Staffing challenges in attracting and retaining qualified water operators
The Indiana Finance Authority and EPA have provided funding for water system improvements, but the scale of need in Gary is substantial.
Lead: The Critical Issue
Lead contamination is arguably Gary’s most urgent drinking water concern. The city’s housing stock is overwhelmingly old — much of it built between 1906 and 1950 during the city’s steel boom. This means:
- Lead service lines are widespread throughout the city’s residential areas
- Lead solder in copper plumbing (pre-1986) is common
- Vacancy and abandonment create stagnant water conditions in distribution lines, which can increase lead levels in neighboring occupied homes
Gary has had documented issues with lead in drinking water. Indiana’s Lead and Copper Rule sampling has shown elevated lead levels in some sampling rounds. The combination of old pipes, corrosive water chemistry, and inconsistent corrosion control treatment creates persistent risk.
Indiana’s environmental justice communities — Gary being among the most prominent — face disproportionate exposure to lead from multiple sources: water, deteriorating lead paint in old housing, and contaminated soil from industrial fallout.
Environmental Justice and Cumulative Burden
Gary consistently ranks among the most environmentally burdened communities in the United States. EPA’s EJScreen tool identifies Gary as a community with:
- High proximity to hazardous waste sites — multiple Superfund and brownfield sites within and adjacent to the city
- Elevated air pollution from industrial facilities, interstate highways (I-90, I-65), and diesel truck traffic
- Contaminated soil from decades of industrial emissions and slag disposal
- High social vulnerability — poverty, low educational attainment, and limited healthcare access compound environmental exposures
For drinking water specifically, the environmental justice dimension means:
- Residents least able to afford bottled water or home filtration are most likely to have lead service lines
- Community trust in government institutions — including water utilities — has been eroded by decades of disinvestment
- The Flint, Michigan, water crisis resonated deeply in Gary, a city with parallel demographics and infrastructure challenges
The Grand Calumet River
The Grand Calumet River flows through Gary and into Lake Michigan. It’s one of the most polluted rivers in the country — a legacy of steel mills, oil refineries, and chemical plants that lined its banks for over a century. The river’s sediments contain:
- PCBs from transformer manufacturing and disposal
- Heavy metals (lead, mercury, chromium, zinc) from steel and metal processing
- PAHs from coking operations and petroleum handling
- Oil and grease from refinery operations
EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management have conducted extensive sediment remediation, but the scale of contamination is enormous. While the Grand Calumet doesn’t serve as a drinking water source, its condition affects the broader environmental health of Gary’s lakefront and can influence nearshore Lake Michigan water quality.
What Gary Residents Should Know
- Assume you have lead in your plumbing unless you’ve confirmed otherwise. In a city where most housing predates 1950, lead service lines and lead solder are the norm, not the exception.
- Always flush your tap before drinking — run cold water for at least 2 minutes after periods of non-use. Never use hot tap water for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula.
- Get your water tested for lead. Contact the Gary Sanitary District or the Lake County Health Department for testing resources. The revised Lead and Copper Rule requires your utility to provide information about your service line material.
- Use a certified filter. An NSF/ANSI 53 certified pitcher filter or faucet-mount filter designed for lead removal costs $20–40 and provides meaningful protection. Reverse osmosis systems provide the most comprehensive treatment.
- For families with young children, lead testing of both water and blood lead levels is especially important. Indiana’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program provides resources for screening and follow-up.
If you’re concerned about your water quality, a certified water treatment professional can test your water and advise on the right system. In a city where infrastructure investment hasn’t kept pace with aging pipes, personal-level protection is essential.
Related Reading
- Chicago Lead Service Lines and Drinking Water
- Detroit Water Infrastructure and Lead Shutoffs
- Flint Michigan Water Crisis
- Indianapolis Water Quality: PFAS and Lead
Sources
- Gary Sanitary District water quality data
- EPA EJScreen environmental justice indicators for Gary, IN
- Indiana Department of Environmental Management Grand Calumet River remediation records
- U.S. Steel chromium-6 discharge incident reports (April 2023)
- Indiana Finance Authority water infrastructure funding records
- EPA Lead and Copper Rule compliance data for Gary