ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
November 14, 1974
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
Complainant,
V.
PCB 74—260
PETEY’S
II,
INC.,
an Illinois corporation,
Respondent.
Mr. John S. O’Brien, attorney for Complainant.
Mr. Ollie
E.
Stone, attorney for Respondent.
OPINION
AND
ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Dr. Odell)
On July
9,
1974,
the Environmental Protection Agency
(Agency)
filed a Complaint against Peter Kattos.
An Amended
Complaint was filed with the Pollution Control Board
(Board)
on August 14,
1974, against Petey’s
II,
Inc. and alleged
that Respondent
from July
1,
1974,
until August 14,
1974,
operated its restaurant
at 159th Street and Route
45, south
of Orland Park,
Illinois, without an operating permit for
its septic tank and seepage field system.
Such activity
allegedly violated Rule 903(a)
and 903(b) of the Water
Pollution Regulations
(Chapter Three)
and therefore was in
violation of Section 12(b)
of the Environmental Protection
Act
(Act)
A hearing was held in Orland Park,
Illinois on October
9,
1974.
Respondent admitted the violations set out in the
Complaint
CR.
3).
The hearing testimony went to the issue of
mitigation.
The Respondent has been operating the restaurant
since October, 1972
(R.
6).
The evidence established that
Respondent did not realize that he was
in violation of the
Act and Chapter Three until
late July,
1974
(R.
29,
30).
Notice of the alleged violations was delayed, because the
first Complaint named the incorrect party as the Respondent.
The Amended Complaint cured this defect.
Once the Respondent
became aware of the need for a permit,
he made every effort
to comply
(R.
6,
7).
Respondent experienced some delay in
filing its permit application, because of confusion on the
part of Respondent’s agents concerning the processing pro-
cedure
(R.
8).
After these difficulties were overcome, a
permit application was submitted on October 16, 1974,
one week
after the date of the hearing.
On October 22,
1974,
a copy
of the permit issued to the Respondent by the Agency was filed
with the Board.
We find that the Respondent has violated Section 12(b)
of the Act and Rules
903 (a)
and 903(c) (3)
of Chapter Three.
14
—421
—2—
Respondent has shown good faith in its efforts to comply
with the law once a violation was realized.
While
Respondent~sbehavior cannot be completely excused becaus~
the Act is malum prohibitum,
the circumstances surroundinq
the permit violation require that only
a nominal penalty bu
imposed.
A technical permit violation occurred, but
it
was
not argued that there was any physical pollution.
This constitutes the findings of fact and conclusions
of law of the Board.
ORDER
IT IS THE ORDER of the Pollution Control Board that
Respondent pay a penalty of $50.00 for its violations of the
Act and Regulations established in this Opinion.
Payment
shall be by certified check or money order payable to the
State of Illinois, Fiscal Services Division, Environmental
Protection Agency,
2200 Churchill Road,
Springfield, Illinois
62706.
Payment shall be made within
35 days of the adoption
of this Order.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify that the above Opinion and Order was
adopted on the
(L~’~day
of
______________,
1974, by
a vote of
£
to N
~stanL~t
14
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422