PINES | When water contamination tests began signaling a
townwide problem, residents in this community bordering LaPorte
County sprang into action and demanded results.
Testing by federal and state agencies beginning in 2000 found
elevated levels of arsenic, lead and other contaminants in
residential wells. Two years later, they'd learn a power plant
biproduct stored at a neighboring landfill flowed right toward the
town and was among its causes.
Pines Town Council President Vanessa Sick has lived in the town
for most of her life and said having to band together created some
lingering ties.
"I really didn't know any of my neighbors before the water
issue," Sick said.
Now, Town Council member Cathi Murray said, more than two-thirds
of Pines residents finally have clear, drinkable water being piped
in from nearby Michigan City.
Bordering LaPorte County to its east and the Indiana Dunes
National Lakeshore to the north, Murray said it was the town's
location that drew her and her husband to start a family in Pines
in 1990.
"We came from Chicago, and we we're looking for something close
to the lake but still affordable," she said.
Murray, who has two children, said Pines has been a good place
to raise a family and newer residents who have ties to Chicago
enjoy the town's proximity to the South Shore commuter rail line.
The town also benefits from being adjacent to the national
lakeshore, with bike trails leading into the park and residents
only having to take short treks to Central Beach and Mount
Baldy.
Tourists visiting the park flock to the town during the summer,
filling rooms at the tiny town's three motels. Few businesses are
actually located within the town's limits, making Pines a primarily
residential community. And, having slightly fewer than 800
residents, it can seem as though everyone knows everyone else.
"It has a quiet little town personality," Sick said.
