A Model Study of a Dike Enclosure at the Eastern End of Lake Erie

Abstract

The Bethlehem Steel Corporation is faced with the problem of finding a disposal area for solid wastes, principally slag, from its steel plant at Lackawanna, New York. Whereas the slag was previously dumped freely into Lake Erie, such dumping is now considered undesirable. The company has proposed that a diked enclosure be built into the lake opposite its plant and that the wastes be dumped into this enclosure, thus preventing them from entering the lake. The company has estimated that the dike should enclose about 620 acres to accommodate its needs to some reasonable future date.