News Release

Most Beach Areas Remain Open at Indiana Dunes National Park

Date: August 16, 2019

While the investigation continues into the chemical spill and fish kill that closed the waters of the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk beach area in Indiana Dunes National Park, the remaining seven national park beaches remain open as does the land portion of Portage Lakefront. The beaches that are not impacted by the spill include West Beach, Porter, Kemil, Dunbar, Lakeview, Central Avenue, and Mount Baldy Beach. In addition, all 15,000 acres of trails and other features of the park remain open with the exception of the portion of the Little Calumet River that lies between Indiana Highways 249 and 149. The August 17th celebration of the new accessible kayak and canoe launch on the East Branch of the Little Calumet River will happen as scheduled since it is well upstream of the impacted portion of the river.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is the lead agency on this spill and is continuing its investigation. Media questions as to the nature and potential harmful effects of the chemical spill should be referred to IDEM: e-mail us . Questions on local drinking water quality should be referred to the individual water provider. Information on closures within Indiana Dunes National Park should be directed to the national park’s information desk at 219-395-1882.

Until the cause of this fish kill has been determined, the impacted waters will remain closed and residents are advised to avoid eating fish in the affected areas. The National Park Service has staff on scene and is continuing to closely monitor the situation and will provide updates as more information is available.