Burns Ditch Tarballs; S Shore of Lake Michigan, at Burns Harbor, Indiana

S Shore of Lake Michigan, at Burns Harbor, Indiana | 2000-Apr-11

Initial Notification: The incident occurred sometime in early April before the NOAA SSC was called by MSO Chicago requesting SSC assistance. At 11:52 April 11, 2000 MSO Chicago called for a sediment sampling plan to assist them in determining the source and extent of tarballs that had shown up in the Burns Ditch just West of Burns Harbor Indiana. The tarballs were collected by MSO Chicago and underwent analysis for composition. It was found that these tar balls were made up of several oils and animal fat and were termed by industry as "Bear Fat". These oils were typically used as lubrication on rollers for the Steel Industry. A cleanup contractor was called up to provide crews to rake and shovel the scattered tar balls within the area. The US Coast Guard is continuing an investigation into this incident. USCG district 9. Keyword: Bear Fat, tarballs.