U.S. Steel Midwest idled the plant in Portage, about 30 miles east of Chicago, as a precaution after it said a wastewater treatment facility experienced “an upset condition” that sent the rusty colored plume containing elevated levels of lead into the Burns Waterway on Sunday.

State and federal environmental agencies are working with U.S. Steel to investigate the cause of the leak and find out if it's harmful.

Multiple environmental groups in the state filed a lawsuit last year urging the Fish and Wildlife Service to decide whether to list the fish under the Endangered Species Act.

A federal judge has approved a revised settlement with U.S. Steel, more than four years after one of the steelmaker's Indiana plants discharged wastewater containing a potentially carcinogenic chemical into a Lake Michigan tributary.

Shoreline cities and towns in the Great Lakes region will be spending heavily in coming years to fix public infrastructure damaged by recent flooding and erosion.

As of July 2, there were 32 drownings in the Great Lakes, compared to 25 as of July 4, 2020, according to data collected by the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.

The Wieboldt-Rostone House and the Florida Tropical House were featured in the 1933 Worlds Fair in nearby Chicago but were moved after the fair closed.

The Environmental Law & Policy Center identified at least 15 times this summer where ArcelorMittal discharged more pollutants into the water than its permit allows.

As sea levels rise, the nation's Atlantic and Pacific coastlines are eroding putting homes and businesses in jeopardy. But climate change also is increasing erosion on what's called the nation's "third coast" the Great Lakes shoreline.

Erosion along Lake Michigan is pitting neighbor against neighbor in Indiana. While some want to build barriers to protect their property along the lake, others want to block those efforts.