ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOA~PD

June 8, 1989

CITY OF GRkNITE CITY,       

)

(MADISON COUNTY)          

)

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 89—99

ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL      

)

PROTECTION AGENCY,        

)

Respondent.

OPINION ~ND ORDER OF THE BOARD (by J. Marlin):

This matter comes before the Board upon a recommendation

filed by the Illinois Environmental Protection ~gency (“1~gency”)

on June 7, 1989 recommending that the Board grant a 45—day

extension to a provisional variance previously granted to Granite

City in PCB 89—75. Granite City requests this varinace from 35

Ill. ~dm. Code 304.141 to allow time to do necessary repairs and

improvements on the final clarifiers at its wastewater treatment

plant. Granite City Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant consists

of an activated sludge system designed to treat 23 MGD. Effluent

is discharged to Chain of Rock Barge Canal, which is a side

channel of the Mississiopi River.

Granite City received from the Board a provisional variance

on ~pril 27, 1989 (PCB 89—75). The variance began on May 9,

1989, when #1 and #2 final clarifiers were taken out of operation

and will continue until June 24, 1989 (45 days). Granite City

has stated that the repair work on the clarifiers will not be

completed by June 24, 1989 due to the “extensive unanticipated

damage existing in the wall separating the #2 and #3 final

clarifiers that must be repaired.” (Variance Extension Request at

4).

Granite City has stated that more concrete than anticipated

will need to be poured to repair the wall between the two

clarifiers. This will result in such a delay that “it will not

be ready for installation of the newly arriving (June 8, 1989) #3

travelling bridge, and, in fact may not be ready until after the

#1 clarifier travelling bridge is scheduled to arrive on July 15,

1989.” (Variance Extension Request at 4). The agency states that

it agrees with Granite City that additional time is needed to

complete this necessary repair work.

100_LLO

—2—

Granite City has stated that “through 3 weeks of experience,

we no longer feel confident that we can attain the 60 mg/i TSS

level requested in the original variance request.” (Variance

Extension Request at 4). Granite City has also requested “that

the allowable TSS concentration in the extended provisional

variance, and in the current provisional variance PCB 89—75 be

modified to be 90 mg/I, while all other parameters remain the

same as granted.” (Variance Extension Request at 4).

The Agency states that it agrees with Granite City that

“since about half of the discharge will receive secondary

treatment and the remaining half will receive primary treatment

that the environmental impact on the Mississippi Rive.r will be

minimal.” (Agency Rec. at 2). The Agency also agrees with

Granite City that denial of this provisional variance extension

petition would create an arbitrary and unreasonable hardship upon

Granite City. According to the Agency, this is based on the fact

that the repair work has begun and Granite City has discovered

more extensive damage than anticipated which will require more

time to repair.

The Agency states that there are no federal regulations

which would preclude the granting of this variance, and that the

Agency is not aware of any public water supplies which would be

adversely affected by granting this provisional variance.

The Board having received notification from the Agency that

compliance on a short term basis with the effluent limitations

imposed by 35 Ill. Adm. Code 304.141 would impose an arbitrary or

unreasonable hardship upon Granite City, and the Board concurring

in that notification, will grant Granite City’s provisional

variance, subject to the conditions suggested by the Agency.

This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and

conclusions of law in this matter.

ORDER

1. Granite City is hereby granted provisional variance from 35

Ill. Adm. Code 304.141, subject to the following conditions:

a.  Variance shall commence on June 25, 1989 and continue

for a period of 45 days or until a second clarifier is

put back into service, whichever occurs first.

h.  Granite City, shall notify Nick Mahlandt of the Agency’s

Collinsville Regional Office via telephone at 618/346—

5120 when the repair work is completed. Written

confirmation shall be sent within 5 days to the

following address:

1 On— 50

—3-

Illinois Environmental Protect ion

Agency

Division of Water Pollution Control

2200 Churchill. Road, P.O. Box 19276

Springfield,

IL 62794—9276

Attention:

Barb Conner

Granite City’s effluent during this variance shall be

limited to the requested limits, as follows:

Monthly Average Limits

NPDES Permit

Requested Variance

BOD5 mg/i

TSS mg/l

Total Iron mg/I

2.0

4.0

Total Cyanide mg/i

0.1

0.2

Mercury mg/I

0.0005

0.001

Fecal Coliform

400/100

*Granite City will chlorinate

the

6 MCD receiving secondary

treatment to a level within the 400/100

ml limit.

Granite CityTs TSS effluent limits

for

the current

provisional

variance (PCB 89-75) shall he modified to 90

mg/i monthly average.

Granite City shall monitor the effluent

from its

treatment plant for the

parameters 

as listed in NPDES

permi.t #IL0O3348l.

f.

During this provisional

variance,

Granite City shall

operate

its

wastewater treatment facility

so as to

produce the best effluent practicable.

Additionally,

Granite City

shall 

perform the necessary replacement

work 

at the plant as expeditiously

as possible so as to

minimize the period of time that the portion of the

plant is out of service.

Within 10 days of the date of this Order, Granite City shall

execute and submit a Certificate

of Acceptance

and Agreement

which shall be sent to Barb Conner at the address indicated

above.

This variance shall, be void if Petitioner

fails to execute

and forward the certificate within forty-five day period. The

100—51

—4—

forty—five day period shall be held in abeyance during any period

that this matter is being appealed. The form of said

Certification shall be as follows:

CERTI FICATION

I, (We), The City of Granite City, having read the Order of

the Illinois Pollution Control Board, in PCB 89—99, dated June 8,

1989, understand and accept the said Order, realizing that such

acceptance renders all terms and conditions thereto binding and

enforceable.

Title

Date

Petitioner

By: Authorized Agent

Section

41

of the Environmental Protection

Act, Ill. Rev.

~

19B7 ch. ill 

1/2 par.

1041, provides 

for

appeal of Final

Orders

of the Board within 35 days. The Rules of the Supreme

Court of Illinois establish filing requirements.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

I, Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control

Board, hereby ce~tifythat the ~i~oveOpinion and Order was

adopted on the 1~Y~Aday of  

1989, by a vote

of

~~J /~)

Pol

Control Board

100—52