2419
East
Reservoir
Peoria, IL
61614-8029
July
13,
2009
ECVE
Illinois
Pollution
Control
Board
CLERK’S OFIOE
James
R.
Thompson
Center,
Suite
11-500
JUL
152009
100
West
Randolph
Street
Chica
o
IL
60601
STATE
OF
ILLINOIS
c
‘
Pollution
Control
Board
Regarding:
Public
Comments
for
Case
PCB
2009-038
Ameren
Energy
Generating
Company
v. IEPA
To
the
Members
of the
Illinois
Pollution
Control
Board:
I urge
you
to
deny
the
water
temperature
changes
Ameren
Energy
Generating
Company
is
requesting
regarding
Coffeen
Lake.
Ameren
should
be
required
to
conduct
additional
studies
of the
Coffeen
Lake
watershed
and
area
water
resources
and
uses
before
any
regulatory
changes
are
made
for
this
cooling
lake.
Allowing
Ameren
to
have
relief
from
their
current
thermal
limits
is
a
band-aid
approach
on
something
that
indeed
is
a much
greater
problem. It
would
appear
likely
that
if this
regulatory
relief
is approved,
Coffeen
Lake
will
become
a
sacrifice
zone
for
the
operation
of the
Ameren
Coffeen
Lake
Power
Plant.
Ameren
says
they
will
conduct
a
study,
find
more
heat
tolerant
fish,
and
replace
fish
if there
are
fish
kills,
but
this
will
not
address
the
real
problems
with
the
situation.
If
the
climate
continues to
warm,
it would
appear
very
likely
that
Ameren
could
be
back
for
additional
regulatory
relief
regarding
temperature
issues
at
another
time
in
the
future.
There
is a
valid
question
if adequate
water
resources
for
the
operation
of this
cooling
plant
will
continue to
be
available.
I
have
visited
Hillsboro,
Illinois,
on
many
occasions
and
have
good
and
dear
friends who
live
in
town
and
in
the
countryside
outside
of
Hillsboro
toward
Coffeen.
In
my
hiking
interests
as
a
volunteer
and
member
of
Sierra
Club,
I have
done
hiking
and
bird
watching
in the
Coffeen
Lake
Upland
Management
Unit
and
near
McDavid
Branch
Creek
and
have
been
at
the
Coffeen
Lake
IDNR
site,
and
I have
been
in
Coffeen
on
several
occasions.
At
the
June
23rd
public
hearing,
Ms.
Arlis
Bates
commented
with
concerns
regarding
proposed
longwall
mining in
the
watershed
above
Coffeen
Lake.
I have
been
told
that
McDavid
Branch
Creek
provides
a
significant
amount
of
water
to
Coffeen
Lake.
A
section
of
the
creek
north
of Route
185
above
Coffeen
Lake
will
be
dropped
due
to
longwall
mining
subsidence.
The
mine
permit
application
states
the
average
land
sinking
will
be
5.7
feet
. This
will
be
happen
over
more
than
4,000
acres,
mostly
north
of Route
185
which
is
north
of
Coffeen
Lake
and
to
the
west.
The
mine
will
drop
land
from
the
north
to the
south,
meaning
water
levels
of
McDavid
Branch
Creek could
be
affected
over
the
course of
ten
or
more
years.
page
2
If
less
water
is available
from
McDavid
Branch
Creek, it
would
seem
the
lake
would
suffer
further
problems.
It
could
possibly
mean
that
Ameren’s
plans
for
adequate
water
resources for
their
cooling
processes could
be
seriously impaired.
While
Ameren
is
claiming
economic
conditions
and
the
cost
of
possible
cooling tower
improvements
as
to
why
they
should
be
given
regulatory
relief,
public
sources
show
their
electric
division
revenue
for
2008
was
$6.37
billion
out
of total
revenue
for
the
company
of
$7.84
billion.
I think
it
is
valid
for
citizens
to
ask,
and
for
agencies
to
consider
why
such
large
companies
should
not
be
required
to come
up
with
better
solutions
to
problems that
what
Ameren is requesting
in this
case.
The
temperature
relief
allows
Ameren
to
continue
business
as
usual
and
the
lake
and
the
fish
and
other
things affected
by
this
lake
will
bear
the
burden.
Yes
it
is the
cooling
lake
for the
power
plant,
however,
the
water
they
are
utilizing
comes
from
the
area
environment
and
is
part
of
the
resources
of
this
state
and
should
be
a
consideration.
I
thank
the
Illinois
Environmental
Protection
Agency
for
opposing
this
“relief
from
current
thermal
limits.”
Thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
provide
these
comments.
Sincerely,
Blumenshine