GARY, Ind. (AP) — Experts say aging infrastructure could be adversely affecting operations at steel mills along the Lake Michigan’s shoreline in northwestern Indiana.

Anthony B. Sindone, a clinical assistant professor of Finance and Economic Development at Purdue University Northwest, told the Times of Northwest Indiana that many U.S. steel mills are more than a century old.

Gary Works, in Gary, suffered extensive flooding just before Thanksgiving, forcing the company to temporarily shut down its blast furnaces to prevent potential explosions.

There was also an explosion at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor in East Chicago shortly after Christmas that damaged a furnace and control room.