Beverly Shores and the Town of Pines are investigating options to develop a sanitary sewer system and connect with the treatment facilities in a neighboring community.
The towns received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that’s dedicated to closing America’s wastewater access gap.
Residents in the two small Porter County communities depend on septic systems. The population of both towns is around 600 each.
EPA officials and contractors visited the two towns on Tuesday.
Beverly Shores Town Council President David Phelps said they are exploring all of their options and that no decisions have been made.
Beverly Shores had reached out to Chesterton about the possibility of connecting to that town’s treatment facilities.
Chesterton Utility Superintendent Dave Ryan mentioned that Beverly Shores officials had contacted them during Monday’s Utility Board meeting.
Chesterton’s plant on the banks of the Little Calumet River runs at about 60% of its capacity, so the town could accommodate Beverly Shores and the Town of Pines. Utility Board President Larry Brandt, though, noted that the plant at times ran at 79% capacity during the heavy rains in June.
Porter Council President William Lopez, D-Ward 3, happened to be in the audience, so Ryan asked him if Porter would be interested in having the two small communities connect with their sewers. Porter’s sewers are connected with Chesterton’s wastewater treatment plant
Lopez said that Porter is concerned about Chesterton having adequate capacity to handle potential future projects north of U.S. 20.
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Michael Barry, the town’s development director and building commissioner, said the town is hoping to connect Porter Beach, the Indiana Dunes State Park and whatever is developed on the old waterpark property at U.S. 20 and Waverly Road.
Barry said that he has suggested that Beverly Shores should look at connecting with Michigan City.
Michigan City already provides water for Beverly Shores and the Town of Pines.
The two communities connected with Michigan City after it was discovered in 2002 that wells in the Town of Pines area had been contaminated by coal combustion byproducts. A NIPSCO coal-burning power plant is located off U.S. 12 in Michigan City, about four miles from the two towns.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.