Area of Concern Habitat Restoration

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Restoration Projects

The passage of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) by Congress in 2010 initiated many significant steps in the remediation of the Grand Calumet River / Indiana Harbor Ship Canal Area of Concern (AOC). The GLRI has provided millions of dollars in aid to the Great Lakes, with specific support for the restoration of the AOCs.

Through GLRI funding, habitat restoration is taking place on over 1,000 acres of dune and swale, prairie, and wetland habitat in the Grand Calumet River AOC. These habitats support a number of threatened and endangered species, including Blanding’s turtle, spotted turtle, and various migratory birds.

Habitat Restoration Planning

In addition to remediation of contaminated sediments, habitat restoration has been a distinct focus of the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) program dating back to the Stage 1 Remedial Action Plan [PDF] in 1991. Over the next several decades, specific AOC habitat restoration needs were refined. The most recent 2012 RAP Update [PDF] identifies eight priority riverine wetlands (Table B) and three priority dune and swale complexes (Table C) for restoration.

In February and March of 2014, the IDEM RAP program coordinator met with the multiple land-managing organizations of the Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Ship Canal AOC to further document additional restoration needs at those sites. The product of those meetings was the 2014 Grand Calumet River Area of Concern Habitat Report [PDF]. This report ultimately led to the establishment of the list of management action items deemed necessary to remove the Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations and Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs).

AOC Habitat Restoration Management Actions

In April 2015, IDEM submitted a habitat management action letter to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). The letter proposed five habitat restoration projects designed to restore habitat function to the AOC:

1. Dune, Swale, and Riverine Wetlands Restoration:
   • This six-year project between IDEM and the Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Lake County Parks and Recreation Department (LCP), began in September 2015 and ended in December 2021. It consisted of removal of dense stands of woody and non-woody invasive plants, herbicide treatment of resprouts, and seeding and planting of native species on 900 acres of state- and locally-managed habitat [PDF]. The total project cost was approximately $5 million.
   • IDNR, TNC, and LCP began a GLRI-funded project in December 2021 to continue habitat restoration activities on 394 of these 900 acres at which additional establishment work is needed. This $2 million project will be completed in late 2024.
2. Grand Calumet Riverine Corridor Restoration:
   • This project was envisioned to consist of invasive species herbicide control along portions of the West and East Branches of the Grand Calumet River. The project goal was to reduce competitive pressure from invasive species at downstream sites restored through other management actions. IDEM and project partners are examining ways to conduct this management action, taking into account recent high water levels and other logistical considerations.
3. Lake George Habitat Restoration:
   • The objective of this project was to restore approximately 80 acres of wetland habitats located in Hammond, Indiana. The restored area includes roughly 60 acres on property located along the Lake George Branch [PDF] of the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal. IDNR holds a conservation easement over approximately 50 of those acres. It also includes roughly 20 acres of wetland habitat surrounding George Lake [PDF] managed by the Hammond Port Authority. During the project, woody and non-woody invasive plants were controlled by herbicide application and prescribed burning. This project was completed in December 2020. The total project cost was $600,000.
4. AOC-Wide Long-term Prescribed Burn Plan:
   • This management action entails the development of prescribed burn plans and implementation of prescribed fire for 24 areas [PDF], covering approximately 705 acres of managed lands in the AOC. Prescribed fire will help reduce invasive species coverage and maintain early successional habitats [PDF]. This effort is coordinated through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and local stakeholders and experts. GLRI funding for this management action will end in December 2022.
5. Pine Station Nature Preserve Ponds and Meander Restoration:
   • The eastern portion of the Pine Station Nature Preserve consists of remnant dune and swale topography which was heavily impacted by activities occurring prior to IDNR ownership. This has resulted in two large, deep ponded borrow pits and a mix of sand and industrial materials, including fly ash and construction debris in and around the ponds. In addition, the native wetland areas in the adjacent meander portion of the Grand Calumet River have been negatively impacted by pollution and invasive species.
   • In 2017, USFWS conducted a habitat assessment of the Pine Station Ponds and Meander and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worked with IDNR and other partners to explore potential ways to restore habitat in the area.
   • Based on the habitat assessment and other investigations, IDNR began implementing the first phase of a multiphase GLRI-funded project to restore the area in and around the Pine Station ponds in October 2021. The project will include invasive species treatment, bank stabilization around the ponds, and placement of a clean sand cover cap in portions of the ponds with some seeding and planting of the capped areas to support native plant communities. The Pine Station Nature Preserve Ponds project will cost approximately $10 million and is expected to be completed in 2024.