ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October 10,
1991
USX CORPORATION,
U.S. STEEL
-
SOUTH WORKS,
)
Petitioner,
)
)
PCB 91—189
(Provisional Variance)
ILLINOIS
ENVIRONMENTAL
)
PROTECTION AGENCY,
)
)
Respondent.
ORDER OF THE
BOARD
(by J.C. Narlin):
This matter comes before the Board on receipt of an Agency
Recommendation dated October
9,
1991.
The recommendation refers
to a request from Petitioner, USX Corporation, for a provisional
variance from the total residual halogen
(TRH)
requirements, as
set forth in 35
Ill. Adm. Code 302.208(d)
and 304.141(b),
for the
period from when the Petitioner begins initiation of its zebra
mussel eradication program,
and continuing for a period of 45
days,
or until the Petitioner’s modified permit is issued in
final form, whichever occurs first.
The Agency recommends that the Board grant the requested
provisional variance with specified conditions.
The Agency
anticipates that the requested provisional variance would have
minimal environmental impact on the receiving stream.
The Agency
is unaware of any public water supplies that the requested
provisional
variance would adversely impact.
The Agency
maintains that a grant of a provisional variance would violate no
federal laws.
The Agency finds that a denial of the requested
provisional variance would create an arbitrary and unreasonable
hardship on the Petitioner.
The responsibilities of the Agency and the Board in these
short—term provisional variances are different from the
responsibilities in standard variances.
See Ill.
Rev. Stat.
1989,
ch.
111½,
pars.
1035(b)
&
(c).
In provisional variances
it
is the responsibility of the Agency to make the technical
determinations and finding of arbitrary or unreasonable hardship.
The Board’s responsibility is to adopt a formal Order,
to assure
the formal maintenance of the record, to assure the
enforceability of the variance, and to provide notification of
the action by a press release.
Having received the Agency recommendation finding that a
denial of the requested relief would impose an arbitrary and
unreasonable hardship, the Board hereby grants Petitioner a
provisional variance from 35
Ill. Adm. Code 302.208(d)
and
304.141(b),
on the following conditions:
126—505
2
1.
The term of this provisional variance shall commence
when the Petitioner,
USX Corporation, initiates its zebra
mussel eradication program at the plant intake water
station, and it shall expire on the date the Petitioner
after 45 days have elapsed, or when the Petitioner’s
modified permit is issued in final form, whichever comes
first;
2.
During the term of this provisional variance, the
Pet~itionershall monitor for
TRH
once per day from Outfalls
001,
002 and 003
(grab samples).
Petitioner shall also
sample for the other effluent permit limits at the frequency
noted in their NPDES permit
(IL000269l).
3.
During the term of this provisional variance, the
Petitioner shall meet a daily maximum limit of 0.05
mg/l
TRH
at each outfall
(concentration limit).
In addition,
Petitioner shall also meet the other effluent permit limits
so noted
in their permit.
4.
The Petitioner shall notify Adolfo Gonzalez of the
Agency’s Naywood Regional office by telephone,
at
(708)
531-
5900
,
when initiation of the zebra mussel eradication
program is begun.
Petitioner shall confirm this notice in
writing within five days,
addressed as follows:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Division of Water Pollution Control
Compliance Assurance Section
2200 Churchill Road
P.O. Box 19276
Springfield, Illinois
62794—9276
Attention:
Mark Books
5.
The Petitioner shall execute a copy of a Certificate of
Acceptance of this provisional variance and forward that
copy to the Agency addressed as
is the written notice
required in the above condition; the Petitioner shall
forward that copy within 10 days of the date of this Order
of the Board,
and the Certificate of Acceptance shall take
the following form:
126—506
3
CERTIFICATION
I
(We),
______________
hereby accept and agree to be bound by all terms
and conditions of the Order of the Pollution
Control Board in PCB 91-189, October 10,
1991.
Petitioner
Authorized Agent
Title
Date
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Board Members J. D. Dumelle and B. Forcade concurred.
I, Dorothy M.
Gunn,
Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Boar~do hereby cer~f~thatthe above Order was adopted on the
~
day of
~
,
1991,
by a vote of
7-C
Dorothy N. G~in,Clerk
Illinois Po2~utionControl Board
126—507