ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
July
31, 1975
REV. ARTHUR STEVENSON,
Petitioner,
vs.
)
PCB 75—121
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
Re~pondent.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Henss):
Rev. Arthur Stevenson seeks variance from a sewer ban
imposed by the Po1.iution Control Board
in League of Women
Voters vs. North Shcre Sanitary District, PCB 70-7,
12,
13
and 14
(as modified by North Shore Sanitary District vs. EPA,
PCB 71-343).
Relief
is sought in order
to connect a single
family dwelling to the North Shore Sanitary District’s North
Chicago sewage
treatrcent plant.
Petitioner states that he has owned property at 1443
Elizabeth Avenue *n North Chicago,
Illinois
for a number of
years.
He has not been able to obtain a building permit for
this site because cf the sewer ban.
He is planning on re-
tiring in the near future and would like to build
a single
family dwelling on his property.
At present, Rev~ Stevenson and his wife reside in aLrented
apartment in Waukega~i, Illinois.
Petitioner alleges that he
will
riot be able
to ~tford
to pay high rent after his retire-
ment.
In addition, Petitioner alleges that his current
residence is inadequate for the following reasons:
1.
The apartment is located
in a neighborhood which
is run—down ~nd has a high crime rate;
2.
The apartment
is not adequate in size for
Petitioner’s 1eUuireme~nts;
3.
Electrical wiring in the apartment
is deficient
and the apartmei~tis so poorly insulated that Petitioner
is required to utilize his kitchen range for heating
purposes during the winter months;
18— 262
—2—
4.
The apartment is located next door to an auto
body shop which constantly emits
fumes offensive to
his lungs, eyes and nose making it impossible for him
to open windows or utilize his porch.
The proposed sewer connection would be tributary to the
North Chicago sewage treatment plant.
The North Chicago plant
is
a secondary treatment facility having a design average flow
of 3.35 MGD and a maximum flow rate of 7.5 MGD.
Effluent from
the North Chicago plant presently discharges into Lake Michigan.
Effluent from the North Chicago plant does not currently comply
with the effluent standards of the Water Pollution Control
Regulations.
Plans have been made to divert this waste water,
after primary treatment,
to the new Gurnee sewage treatment
plant.
In a letter dated April
7,
1975 John P.
Kottcamp, Jr.,
an engineer with the North Shore Sanitary District advised the
Board that
“the North Shore Sanitary District sewage treatment
plant, North Chicago~will be pumping effluent to the new North
Shore Sanitary Dist’ict sewage treatment plant, Gurnee by
October 15,
1975.
lit
that time,
all effluent from the North
Chicago treatment plant will be pumped to the Gurnee plant and
will no longer be discharged into Lake Michigan”.
The Agency believes that the grant of this variance would
result in little,
if any, harm to the environment since in all
probability the Gurnee sewage treatment plant will be on line
before Rev. Stevenson’s home is completed and ready to be
occupied.
The Agency recommends the grant of this variance.
It
is the finding of the Pollution Control Board that Rev.
Stevenson has met tEe statutory requirement for grant of variance.
Variance will be oranted in order that construction of the single
family dwelling may begin immediately.
The variance will
provide, however,
that Petitioner may not connect to the sewer
line until the Gurnee sewage treatment plant is on line.
ORDER
It
is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that Rev.
Arthur Stevenson is granted variance from the sewer ban imposed
in League of Women Voters vs. North Shore Sanitary District,
PCB
7fl-7,
12,
13 and
14,
as modified by North Shore Sanitary
District vs.
EPA, PCB 71-343,
for the purpose of connecting a
single family dwelling at 1443 Elizabeth Avenue, North Chicago,
Illinois.
Variance is granted on condition that Rev. Arthur
Stevenson delay actual connection and use of his sewer facility
until the Sanitary District has commenced pumping effluent from
the Notth Chicago treatment plant to the Gurnee plant.
I,
Christan
L.
Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
18— 263
—3—
Board,
hereby certify the a ove Opinion and Order was adopted
the
3~4~
day of
_____________,
1975 by a vote of
Christan L. Moffett,
k
Illinois Pollution C
ci Board
18
—
264