Chesterton businesses are being asked by the Utility to report mercury concentrations in their computer monitors and overhead fluorescent lights.

It’s part of a Pollutant Minimization Program mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

And—there’s really no way to sugar-coat this—it’s going to be sort of inconvenient.

No later than Sept. 1, businesses must complete a form on which they (1) provide the total number of computer monitors and overhead fluorescent lights in the shop; (2) provide the brand name of the monitor or the manufacturer of the light; and (3) provide the mercury concentration for each monitor and each light.

“We request you contact your computer monitor and your overhead light supplier(s) or the manufacturer to obtain this information,” the Utility says.

This information will then be tabulated, sent to IDEM for the Pollutant Minimization Program Plan, and applied to the Town of Chesterton’s Streamlined Mercury Variance Application.

For more information, contact Utility Inspector Elliott Lowe or Superintendent Rob Lovell at (219) 926-1032.