ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
July 12, 1973
)
)
VILLAGE OF CATLIN
)
)
and
)
)
McDOWELL BROS.
CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
)
)
)
PCB 73-110
v.
)
)
)
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
)
)
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Dumelle)
Petition for variance
to construct
a 64-bed sheltered care home
was filed with the Board on March
12, 1973 by the Village
of Catlin
(pop.
2300).
The Village was put under
a sewer extension and sewer
connection ban by the Agency on November 25, 1970 because
the’ sewage
plant was
100
overloaded.
Two objections were received to the variance.
The Agency’s
recommendation filed April
25, 1973
is for denial.
Public hearing was
held on May
30,
1973.
The proposed shelter care home
is for ambulatory persons;
would
employ 15-25 staff;
and have construction cost
of about
$350,000
(R.8).
Construction would take
13 months and an additional 6-12
months
to fill the home
(R.
10).
Additional
flow would be 6,000 gpd.
A letter of February 26, 1973 from the Illinois Department of
Public Health puts
the need for the Catlin-Danville
area for sheltered
beds
at
215.
Testimony by Mayor Clyde
J.
Barkman described
a pending $640,000
loan ‘from the Farmers Home Administration to construct a new sewage
treatment plant with necessary sewer lines
(R.
34).
The village
also
has
an Illinois priority rating of 83 for Federal grant
funds.
On
February 16,
1973 the village purchased the land for the new sewage
treatment plant.
A representative
of the Farmers Home Administration
testified that the Letter of Intent had been signed by the village on
May
7,
1973 and that the loan would be forthcoming shortly
(R.
46).
The consulting engineer for
the
village described the new sewage
plant
as being designed for a population equivalent
of 4000 with the
capability
of
being
doubled in
size
(R.
59-60).
He verified the
-2-
capacity of the present plant
as being
about
1000 P.E.
and stated
that
a 10,000 gpd package plant for the shelter home would cost
from $21,000 to $24,000
(R.
65).
The period until operation of the
new village treatment plant would be 17-19 months
(R.
67)
The Board has received a
letter dated June 11, 1973 from peti-
tioner’s attorney stating that the Farmers Home Administration loan
has been finally cleared.
Thus
the 17-19 months until the new plant
is built are now running.
On balance, weighing the unrefuted need
for the shelter care home and the employment and tax revenues
it
will bring
($7,600 per year,
R.
52)
against six months
or
less of
increased degradation to Butler Creek we grant
the variance.
However,
we point out that the petitioner did not adequately study the effects
of the additional discharge upon the Creek
(R.
68).
The Agency’s
recommendation speaks of “sludge deposits and sewage mold”
in Butler
Creek due to raw sewage being bypassed at the plant.
Fecal coliform
counts recorded are far about the 400/100 ml standard and
in one
case was 1,400,000.
This indicates
a severe health hazard in Butler
Creek and
the public should be so warned by suitable village posting.
This opinion constitutes the Board’s findings
of fact and
conclusions of law.
ORDER
1.
Variance
is granted to the petitioners to connect
a 64-bed
shelter care home to the Catlin sewer system.
2.
Butler Creek downstream of the sewage treatment plant
to
its
junction with Salt Fork River shall be posted by the Village
within 60 days with not less than three signs
stating “Danger,
Polluted Stream”.
The signs shall be maintained in
a readable
state until the new sewage plant
is operating in a manner
satisfactory to the Agency.
3.
The shelter care home shall not have
its laundry done on-site
nor shall
it discharge its garbage
into the sewer system until
the Agency has certified to
it the satisfactory operation of
the new sewage plant.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify the above Opinion and Order were adopted on the
/.~t~’1
day of July,
1973 by a vote of
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Christan L. Moffett, Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control Board
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