Boaters slow to return Indiana beaches after cyanide spill

PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — Boating enthusiasts have been slow to return to the Lake Michigan shoreline in northwestern Indiana following a spill of cyanide and ammonia from a steel mill that led to a fish kill and prompted the temporary closure of nearby beaches.

ArcelorMittal issued an apology Aug. 16 for the spill that killed roughly 3,000 fish, while beaches closed in Portage and Ogden Dunes. The National Park Service reopened Indiana beaches Aug. 22 after three consecutive days of positive testing.

But the Post-Tribune reports that the people who often swim and fish nearby remain worried.

M&M Charter boat owner Mark Melton says the Indiana Department of Natural Resources indicated salmon and trout weren’t affected by the spill. But Melton noted he’s unclear whether customers who catch them would risk falling sick.