ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

December 16, 1976

VTLLAGE OF INA,

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 76—254

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD (by Mr. Dumelle):

Petition for Variance from Rules 203(c), 402 and 404(f) (1)

of the Water Pollution Regulations of the Board was filed on

October 6, 1976. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

(“Agency”) filed its Recommendation on November 12, 1976. No public

hearing was held.

The Village of ma has a population of 333 and is located in

Jefferson County. It presently has no public sanitary sewage

system or treatment facility. A grant offer from the Agency dated

May 21, 1976 has been received.

The proposed 50,000 gpd waste treatment facility will discharge

to an unnamed tributary of Gun Creek which drains to Rend Lake,

some 2.2 miles away. The facility will consist of a conventional

third stage waste stabilization pond system followed by a slow sand

filter system for additional solids removal and by chlorination. The

planned construction would begin July 1, 1977 and be complete on

July 1, 1978.

Rule 203 (e) i s

the

w~t

er qudi.

Ity st dn(hI id dud ho

I d~ phosphorus

to

0.05

mg/I in streams where they enter a reservoir or lake. Rule

402 requires that effluent discharges not cause a water quality

standard violation. Rule 404 (f) (i) sets standards for third stage

treatment lagoons but prohibits water quality standard violations.

The Petition gives

the

average phosphorus concentration

in

Rend Lake as 0.07

-

0.08 mg/i based upon

US.

Environmental Protection

Agency Working Paper #313. The Village asserts that 0.05 mg/l

of phosphorus is “virtually impossible” to attain and that a 1.0 mg/i

treatability level for phosphorus is generally accepted. Rend Lake

24 —451

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presently receives a total of 164,075 lbs. of phosphorus per year.

The Village of ma would add 1,218 lbs. per year or 0.7 more.

The phosphorus from non-point sources is estimated to be 130,750 lbs.

per year.

The cost alternatives are given as follows:

Capital Cost

Annual Cost

1. Lagoon System

$376,905

$

48,180

2. Same as above with physical-

chemical treatment for phos-

phorus removal

530,920

68,471

3. Land application system

744,288

89,380

The Agency’s Recommendation gives the Village of ma’s phosphorus

contribution to Rend Lake at 1,522 lbs. per year rather than the

1,218 lbs. per year estimated by the Petitioner. The Agency feels

that aquatic biota in the stream will transform some of the soluble

phosphorus to organic phosphorus in biomass and then eventually into

the stream sediments. This phenomenon is expected to mitigate the

impact of soluble phosphorus upon the eutrophic state of Rend Lake.

Because the major amount (80) of phosphorus going to Rend Lake

is from non-point sources and because phosphorus removal from the

Petitioner’s effluent would have a minimal effect on the total phos-~

phorus loading, the Agency recommends a grant of the variance.

The Board notes that the subject of phosphorus levels in effluents

from small sources is now being thoroughly examined in R76—l. The

Petitioner states that the Inter—City Water Treatment Plant has the

“best available technology for handling problems of algae production,

taste, or odor problems.

.“

This “available technology” does not

necessarily mean that the water treatment burden should be placed

upon the water users rather than upon the dischargers to a water

supply.

The Board will qrant the variance

but requi re that.

provision

be made for phosphorus removal treatment to 1.0

mg/I

should it be

later required.

This Opinion constitutes the

Board’s findings of fact and

conclusions of law.

ORDER

Variance is granted from Rules 203(c), 402 and 404(f) (1) as

regards phosphorus only until December 15, 1981 subject to the

24

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452

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3—

to the following conditions:

a.

The waste

treatment facility

shall be desiqned and

constructed with provision for phosphorus treatment to

1.0 mg/i or to whatever alternative level is set by the

Board at some future date.

b. The provisions of R76-l, when decided, shall govern

if applicable to this discharger.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control

Board, hereby certify the above Opinion and Or er were adopted on the

1L~’~

day of December, l97~ by a vote of __________________________

O4L~*4v~

Christan L. Moffe j~,’ylerJc

~M

Illinois Pollution’-~’ntrol Board

24—453