ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

July

22,

1971

CITY OF ZION

#

71—128

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

)

Opinion of the Board

(by Mr.

Currie):

Zion seeks

to burn “dead or diseased” trees.

As

in many

earlier cases,

there is no sufficient allegation of hardship in the

case of ordinary dead trees

(see City of Winchester

v.

EPA,

#70-37, p&

8

,

1971).

In

the case of diseased trees and of

elm wood, which can harbor pests, we have held the need to avoid

the spread of disease justifies burning under appropriate conditions

(ibid).

Here the site

is remote enough

(l000~

from the nearest

building,

1/2 mile from homes), but it is

an incompletely covered

dump.

We shall require that the

site be cleaned up before any

burning

is

done.

ORDER

The City of

Zion is granted

a variance

to allow the open

burning of trees for six months from this date at the site described

in the petition, subject to

the following conditions:

1)

No

burning shall be done until

all other refuse at the

site has been adequately covered or removed.

2)

Only vegetation affected with infectious disease, or

any elm wood, may be burned,

3)

Burning shall be done

in accord with reasonable time,

weather,and other conditions

to be prescribed by the Agency.

4)

No extension of

this variance shall be allowed in

the absence of proof that alternative methods such as the air-

curtain destruct or have been investigated and found wanting.

I, Regina E.

Ryan, Clerk

of the Pollution Control Board certify

that the Board adopted the above opinion thIs~ay

of~117, 197

2—

159