ILLINOIS

POLLUTION

CONTROL

BOARD

August

15,

1972

CITY OF

PARIS

PCB

72-277

ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION

AGENCY

CITY

OF

OAKLAND

v.

)

PCB

72-289

ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION

AGENCY

OPINION

OF

THE

BOARD

(by

Mr.

Dumelie)

These

two variance

applications

request

the

use

of

copper

sulfate

in their

respective

drinking

water

reservoirs

to prevent

algae

nuisances

and

ask that

permission

to exceed

the

0.

02

mg/l

copper

standard

in the

water

quality

regulations

be

granted.

We grant

these

variances

for

the

reasons

noted

but

recommend

further

study

of alternatives

before

next year~s algae

season.

CITY

OF

PARIS

The

City

of Paris

in Edgar

County

has

a population

of

9,

971.

Its

variance

petition

was

received

by the

Board

on

July

5,

1972.

No

hearing

was

held.

The

Paris

water

supply

is

contained

in three

reservoirs

and totals

840

million

gallons

according

to

Mr.

L.

Leon

Foltz

acting

for

the petitioner.

Mr.

Foltz

states

that

copper

sulfate

control

is

necessary

to

control

algae

and thus

eliminate

a bad taste

in the

water

caused

by

the

algae.

It

is

alleged

that the

practice

has

gone

on for

a long

time.

The

Agency

recommends

a

grant

of

the

variance

and

states

that

the practice

has

gone

on

since

1942

with

no

~apparent

effects

on

human

or

aquatic

life.

The

Agency

recommends

a treatment

of

up

to

1000 lbs.

of

copper

sulfate

twice

monthly

through

October

1972

and states

that

the

copper

level

will

not

exceed

0.

10 mg/i

at

maximum

dosage.

5

..—

171

---

-2-

CITY

OF

OAKLAND

The

City of

Oakland

in

Coles

County has

a

population

of 1,012.

The

variance petition

was received by the Board on

July

10,

1972.

No hearing

was

held.

The

Oakland

water

reservoir was created by

damming

a

branch

of the

Embarrass

River

In 1936 or 1937,

has

an area of

about

26

acres

and

a

capacity

of about

25

million

gallons

(21.68 million gallons

according to the

Agency) as

stated in the petition

signed by Mr.

Dale

E.

Francis,

engineer for the city.

Copper sulfate has been used for

at least

30 years

since

1942) according

to Mr.

Francis.

to reduce algae

and thus

eliminate the taste

and

odors in the

water

caused by it

and to permit longer filter

runs

between backwashlngs.

No

harm to fish

or

aquatic life has occurred and the reservoir has

good fishing.

The

Agency recommendation received by the Board

on

August

4,

1972

recommends

a grant with dosages of

copper

sulfate not to exceed 300 lbs.

per

monthly treatment through September

and states that at

maximum

dosage the

copper levels

should

not exceed 0.42

mg/I.

The

Agency

states that

the piactice

has

been

going on since 1947

(petitioner states

1942)

with

no “apparent

adverse

effects

on human or aquatic

life.”

DISCUSSION

Since the Agency recommends

the

grant and since

“no apparent

effects”

are

known

we

grant

the variances

in these

two

cases.

We are not convinced

that

the

petitioners

or the

Agency has

adequately

explored all possible alternatives to

using

copper

sulfate.

Last week in three similar

variance grants we listed

six

alternatives

none of which appear to have been

considered

In these

records

by

the

Agency or the petitioners

(City of Laflarpe,

et al,

PCB

72-168,

203.

225; August 8.

1972).

The

methods listed last week are

(1) actIvated

carbon on the reservoir

surface,

(2) dosing with lime,

(3) use of algae viruses.

(4) use of algae

toxins,

(5)

air

Injection to bring

cooler water to

the surface,

and (6) control of critical

nutrients,

such as phosphorus.

To these we would now

add

(7) stocking

with

algae-eating fish,

(8) use of parasitic fungus,

and

(9)

use of a

substitute

algacide.

Two fish species

which

eat algae have

come to

our

attention.

Whether

they are

suitable

for stocking in minols

reservoirs

we do

not

know

but

we would

encourage

Agency research

and

comment.

The

two fish species

are the viviparous

top minnow

Gainbusla,

and the so-called

“Chinese

algae eater”

(it is

actually

5—172

---

from

Thailand)

Gyrinocheilus

aymonieri

(tirant),

a

species

of

sucker

catfish.

The

article

‘~PotentialAlgicides

for

the

Control

of Algae~ by James

C.

Gratteau

in the

Reference

Number

of

Water

and

Sewage

Works

(1970)

mentions

the

English

lakes

study

of parasitic

fungus

(p. 11-45)

and the

promising

new

chemical

algicides

to replace

copper

sulfate,

namely,

2, 3-dichloronaphthoquinone

(for blue-green

algae)

and

Algimycin-Pll

(pp.11-30.

11-45).

In

summary,

the

Board

feels

that

there

may

be

undesirable

effects

on

the

environment

occurring

from

the

repeated

use

of

copper

sulfate,

In

future

proceedings

of this

type,

the

Agency

should

explore

the

alternatives

listed

above

as

well

as

any

others

that

seem

to

be

appropriate.

The

English

book,

Fish

and

River

Pollution

by

J.

H. E.

Jones

(1964)

states:

After

their

examination

of

all

the

data

Doudoroff

and

Katz

conclude

that

in

most

of

the

natural

fresh

waters

of

the

U. S.

A.

copper

sulphate

concentrations

below

0.

025

PP~

as

Cu are

not

rapidly

fatal

for

most

of

the

common

fish

species.(p.

59)

The

concentrations

granted

here

are

well

in

excess

of

0. 025

mg/I,

being

0,

10

mg/i

for

the

City

of

Paris

and

0.

24

mg/i

for

the

City

of

Oakland.

it

should

also

be

pointed

out

that

the

Agency

may

have

erred

in

its

recommendations

for

the

City

of

Paris.

The

petitioner

asked

to

use

1000

lbs.

of

copper

sulfate

every

two

weeks

per

lake.

The

water

reservoir

is

referred

to

as

the

Twin

Lakes

and

later

three

reservoirs~

are

mentioned.

Thus

it

appears

that

either

2000

lbs.

or

3000

lbs.

of

copper

sulfate

are

require(

at

Paris

br

each

treatment.

However,

we

will

enter

the

variance

at

the

Agency

s

recommendation

of

1000

lbs.

per

treatment

for

the

entire

water

suppiy

in

storage.

If the

figure

is

in

error

then

the

parties

can

supply

a request

for

an

amended

order.

This

opinion

constitutes

the

Boards

findings

of

fact

and

conclusions

ol

1

aw.

Oil DER

Variances

are

granted

to

the

cities

of

Paris

and Oakland

to

exceed

the

water

quality

standard

of

0.

02

mg/i

in

their

water

supply

reservoirs

by

treating

with

capper

sulfate

to prevent

algae

blooms

subject

to the

following

conditions:

Dosage

shall

be

Iimj ted

as

follows:

a)

For

Paris,

to

two

treatments

ncr

month

from

August

through

October,

1972

not

to

exceed

1000

lbs.

oi

copper

sulfate

per

treatment.

5

—~

173

---

-4-

b)

For

Oakland,

to one treatment

per

month

from

August

through

September,

1972

not

to

exceed

300 lbs.

of

copper

sulfate

per

treatment.

2)

Copper

concentrations

at the

raw

water

intake

to

the

water

treatment

plant

shall

never

exceed

1.

0 mg/I.

3)

Copper

concentration

in

the reservoir

shall

be measured

immediately

before

and

after

each

copper

sulfate

treatment

ard

the

results

submitted

to the

Agency

on

a monthly

basis.

I,

Christan

IL.

iVloffett,

Clerk

of the

Illinois

Pollution

Control

Board,

hereby

certify

the

above

Opinion

and Order

were

adopted

on

the

/4~’~

day

of

August,

1972

by

a vote

of

—

0

Christan

L.

Moffett,

~rk

mois

Pollution

Control

Board

5

—.