Swimmers ordered to stay out of Lake Michigan in northwest Indiana due to unidentified substance in water; several agencies investigating, including U

[Emily]

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9142721

Mysterious substance closes Indiana beaches
Updated at 11:13 PM today
Ben Bradley
More: Bio, Facebook, Twitter, News Team

June 17, 2013 (PORTER, Ind.) (WLS) -- Swimmers have been ordered to stay out of Lake Michigan in parts of northwest Indiana.

Investigators are trying to identify a substance that showed up in the water Monday...

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/06/17/mystery-substance-prompts-closure-of-indiana-beach/

Mystery Substance Prompts Closure Of Indiana Beach
June 17, 2013 4:42 PM
(CBS) WBBM
[snip]
Rowe says that around noon, beach visitors noticed their children coming out of the lake with a silvery, almost metallic material sticking to them, which prompted the beach closure.

Lifeguards walked the shoreline, announcing the water was off-limits.

?They said it with urgency. They told everybody to evacuate the water immediately,? beachgoer Jason Pavela said...

 

[Emily]

Re: Swimmers ordered to stay out of Lake Michigan in northwest Indiana due to unidentified substance in water; several agencies investigating, including USGS

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/20818342-537/industrial-chemicals-found-in-lake-michigan-waters.html

Industrial chemicals found in Lake Michigan waters

By Christin nance Lazerus June 18, 2013 12:04PM
[snip]
A preliminary report from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management showed the water contained small concentrations of tricalcium orthophosphate, which is used as a fertilizer and a food additive; maple syrup; and gluconic acid, which is used to clean metals, according to Indiana Department of Natural Resources Officer Gene Davis...

Maple syrup? No wonder the concoction was sticking to children's bodies.

 

[Emily]

Re: Swimmers ordered to stay out of Lake Michigan in northwest Indiana due to unidentified substance in water; several agencies investigating, including USGS

I haven't seen an update with confirmation on what the chemicals in the water were and what the source was, but here's an article that indicates that pollution in this area of Lake Michigan is all too routine and may be sickening swimmers:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/06/19/surfer-chemical-slicks-common-on-nw-indiana-beaches/

Surfer: Chemical Slicks Common On NW Indiana Beaches
June 19, 2013 9:13 AM

CHICAGO (CBS) ? Environmental authorities in Indiana said preliminary results have found that an additive used in food and fertilizer and a metal cleaning agent were in the slick found on the lake this week. Someone who spends a lot of time on the lake doesn?t believe it was an isolated incident.

?It?s been a dirty week for Lake Michigan,? said Basil Tydings, an East Coast transplant who lives in the Chicago area because of the lake.
[snip]
?They need the industry for the jobs, and so forth, but this is a precious, precious jewel, this Lake Michigan,? he said. ?There are some drains that I wonder what is draining out of those places into the lake.?

Tydings said has paddled through several slicks on the lake, and he said he became ill last week after surfing at Ogden Dunes.

?Real bad headaches and real tightness on the sides of my head,? he said. ?I was like, ?Wow, what?s going on???...

There's an audio interview at the link.