(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Several community groups are going to court in hopes of stopping more waste from being dumped along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seeks to expand its dredge waste dumpsite between Steelworkers Park and Calumet Park on the city’s Southeast Side.
“It was originally supposed to be closed in 1984,” said Juanita Irizarry, Executive Director of Friends of the Park. “They keep dumping more and more toxins there and going beyond the projected closure date.”
Friends of the Parks is one of the groups represented in a new lawsuit aimed at stopping the expansion.
“There are toxins in there that we know are already leaching into Lake Michigan and our water supply,” Irizarry said. “They’re dredging up toxins, dumping them into the dump, and they’re leaking into our water supply. It’s kind of silly to continue to do that right on the lakeshore.”
The suit accuses the Army Corps of violating state and federal laws in refusing to find an alternative location outside the 10th Ward.
Related
Listen to our new podcast Courier Pigeon
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram