Calumet Township residents haven’t inched closer to power restoration, but Lake County officials are trying to provide more resources amid a sewer system issue that arose following the Aug. 11 derecho storm system.
Residents in and around the Woods Park neighborhood said basic hygiene needs are a challenge as a recently installed sewer system only works when the power is on, and at least one resident has reported a sewage overflow and a developing sinkhole.
Resident Pam Oliver said contractors recently installed a grinder pump system to prevent septic overflows in the neighborhood. It works by pushing waste through the sewer lines when residents aren’t at sewer grade, she said. The pump has its own power source encased in a locked box and contractors didn’t provide her with a key, so there was no way to connect it to a generator when the power went out.
“Now have portable showers at the Lake Ridge fire station, but it doesn’t help my husband, who is confined to a wheelchair,” she said.
Oliver said she’s had to wash her dishes in a bucket, then toss it out in her yard.
Oliver said she saw utility crews trim trees back from her unit, but no NIPSCO crews yet.
“It’s been a nightmare that’s not ending,” Oliver said. “I’ve talked to NIPSCO and it could be another two days.”
The sewer project was meant to move Calumet Township residents off septic systems, as between 1991 and 2021, there were 324 complaints about septic systems in this area of Calumet Township, according to Post-Tribune archives. Testing conducted in 2017 and 2018 found elevated levels of E. coli and other contaminants in Cady Marsh Ditch, which runs through the community. Officials said the findings were indicative of failing septic systems creating runoff into the surface waters.
The Calumet Township STEP system encompasses Ridge Road to the north, 53rd Avenue to the south, Colfax Street to the west and Cleveland Street to the east, according to the STEP website. In 2024, the Lake County Commissioners approved the final financing component for the $90 million project.
Commissioner Kyle Allen, D-1st, said Friday that they’re working with the Legacy Foundation to fund the portable toilets and showers at the fire station.
“This is going to be a teaching and learning moment for NIPSCO and government,” Allen said. “Even if we execute right, we’re at the mercy of the utility.
“People want to be in their own house, not to have to leave their house daily just to meet basic needs.”
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Oliver was trying to be positive on Friday, but it was frustrating.
“I know help is on the way, but I just want to know when,” Oliver said.