Victory: U.S. Steel Held Accountable for Polluting Lake Michigan Over four years ago, we sued U.S. Steel for discharging nearly 300 pounds of toxic hexavalent chromium into Lake Michigan, near a popular surf break. This prompted U.S. and state regulators to also file suit, and Surfrider intervened in that case, while our initial lawsuit was put on pause. That case ultimately settled last August, and after years of Surfrider’s participation (which involved filing briefs with hundreds of pages of exhibits, and expert statements, and support from @chicago_surfrider activists), in addition to roughly $600,000 in penalties, U.S. Steel agreed to implement a new water quality monitoring project and improved public notification requirements in order to better inform the public of health concerns in the event of water pollution. We are celebrating the improvements this litigation and intervention garnered. We are also heartened by subsequent state enforcement for additional violations that included notably higher penalties than what are typically assessed when public watchdogs like Surfrider aren’t at work. Visit the link in bio to learn more. Photo Credit: Mike Killion (@killertown)