The Chase Street water well, a longtime drinking source for some Gary residents, has tested for arsenic levels above federal safety limits, raising new concerns about public health.
For decades, the well, located near the 3600 block of Chase Street, has been seen as a community staple, championed by residents for its mineral-rich water.
But a new U.S. Geological Survey investigation found the water contained arsenic, a potentially hazardous chemical. Tests showed levels of 12 micrograms per liter, which is higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum standard of 10.
The preliminary findings were presented last month to the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission as part of a broader review of groundwater quality in Northwest Indiana.
The USGS report, slated to be finalized and released in 2026, is based on tests done in 2022 and 2023. Harvie Pollard, a USGS hydrologist who presented the findings, said testing so many chemicals takes time and money, contributing to the lag. Staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic also slowed the work.
USGS tested the well for more than 70 elements, minerals, and chemicals, including aluminum, barium, iron, and manganese. The results revealed elevated levels of arsenic that exceeded federal safety limits.
The Environmental Protection Agency classifies inorganic arsenic, which is usually found in contaminated water, as a “human carcinogen.” Exposure has been linked to lung, bladder, kidney, skin, and liver cancers, as well as skin damage, circulatory problems, and cardiovascular disease.
Pollard said arsenic can appear naturally or be introduced through human activity, but more research is needed to understand its presence in the well.
Scientists caution that a reading of 10 micrograms per liter of arsenic doesn’t guarantee that a water sample is safe.
Anne Nigra, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, whose research focuses on drinking water contamination and its effects on public health, said EPA limits are not enough to determine public health safety.
“The primary reason why EPA set that standard at 10, instead of lower, is because of cost and technical feasibility. It’s not because we think that 10 micrograms per liter is a safe level of exposure. There’s no safe level of arsenic in drinking water. ”
Conversely, Stony Brook professor Jaymie Meliker, an epidemiologist who studies low-level exposure to arsenic in drinking water, said that while “nothing is safe,” the levels detected may not necessarily be a major concern.
“There’s nothing that is perfectly safe,” Meliker said. “So it’s all about just trying to assess, OK, what is least risky in this scenario. And I think, you know, 12 [micrograms] doesn’t worry me so much.”
Nigra added that while the EPA’s maximum arsenic standard is 10 micrograms per liter, the agency’s public health goal, which is based solely on public health risks, is zero.
While arsenic is a naturally occurring element in water and soil, levels of arsenic tend to be higher in prevalence in ground drinking water, according to the American Cancer society. People who live near industrial sources of arsenic can be exposed to higher levels of arsenic in contaminated air, soil, and water, according to the organization.
Iron and manganese levels at the Chase Street well were also above EPA standards, Pollard said, which is likely the reason behind the ring of rust left around the spout of the well and may explain the water’s metallic taste. But it’s not all bad news. The USGS testing did not detect PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” a class of widely used chemicals that are linked to cancers and immune system dysfunction.
“Is it safe to drink?”
When asked whether the well water is safe to drink by a Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission board member during the presentation, Pollard declined to give an opinion. “I can’t give my opinion, all I can give you is the data,” he said. “You guys make the determination if it’s safe to drink.”
Since the August presentation, the commission has not issued any advisories on the safety of the water.
“So when I see a drinking water source that has arsenic exceeding even that 10 micrograms per liter standard, I get very concerned about the public’s health,” Nigra said. “My primary suggestion is to stop using that drinking water source as soon as possible,” adding that communities could rally behind filtration and testing initiatives.
How arsenic is detected
Arsenic is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, making it virtually impossible to know if it’s present in drinking water. Because it’s so hard to trace, it requires testing to confirm its presence.
Dan Repay, executive director of the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission, told Capital B Gary that the well currently meets state testing requirements. “The natural spring is compliant with respect to current Indiana Department of Environmental Management standards. It is tested monthly and results are sent to IDEM,” he said.
IDEM routinely tests the well for total coliform bacteria monthly, and nitrate annually, a spokesperson told Capital B Gary. However, it does not monitor for arsenic, because it is a transient public water system that does not regularly serve people.
“Because transient systems do not regularly serve the same individuals for extended periods, they are not federally required to monitor for arsenic per the Safe Drinking Water Act,” the spokesperson said.
The Indiana Department of Health estimates that testing for arsenic would cost $25 per sample for public water utilities — and would be free for local health departments and state agencies like IDEM.
In a statement to Capital B Gary, Pollard declined to comment until the report is officially released, but added that USGS’ priority is “ensuring that local officials have the information they need to protect the community.”
USGS testing for arsenic hasn’t been conducted since 2023, Pollard said, leading Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission board members to urge for further review.
“This is too important to not look into further,” said commission board member Dave Castellanos, who requested additional information.
“People have been drinking this for generations. I drink the water,” Castellanos said. “Magnesium, zinc, iron were fine, the only thing that concerns me is the arsenic.”
Repay noted that while the USGS report is not expected to be finalized until 2026, the commission plans to conduct additional water tests of its own “above and beyond what is mandated by IDEM.”
The impact of water
Nigra, whose expertise focuses on water equity in marginalized communities, added that studies have shown that in places with naturally occurring arsenic, like in parts of the Midwest and Indiana, there tends to be higher levels of arsenic in Black communities.
“Consistently, we see inequities in water exposure impacting communities of color,” Nigra said.
She said this is because of shortfalls in affordability, water quality regulation, and lack of infrastructure investment in communities of color. Conversely, in white, wealthier, and politically connected communities, water quality violations are more likely to be taken more seriously.
“Drinking water exposures are not equitably or equally distributed across the U.S.,” Nigra said.