ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

December

2

1976

VILLAGE OF ALMA,

Petitioner,

v.

)

 PCB 76—227

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

 (by Mr. Young):

This matter comes before the Board on the variance peti-

tion of the Village of Alma filed on September

7,

 1976, seeking

relief from Rules

 203(c)

 and 402 of Chapter

3:

 Water Pollution

Rules and Regulations as applied to phosphorus.

 An Agency

Recommendation was filed with the Board on November

9,

 1976;

no hearing was held in this matter.

The Village of Alma is located in Marion County and has

a population of 369 people.

 The Village has no sewage collection

system or centralized treatment plant with all homes

 in the

Village presently served by septic tanks

 and seepage fields.

With the assistance of

 a 75

 State/Federal grant,

 the Village

proposes

 to install

 a sewage collection system and treatment

facility consisting of a waste stabilization lagoon,

 submerged

sand filters and chlorination prior to discharge.

 This effluent

will discharge

 to Warren Branch, tributary to the East Fork of

the Kaskaskia River which

 flows into the Carlyle Reservoir.

The

phosphorus concentration in the East Fork presently exceeds

0.05 mg/l as

 it enters the Carlyle Reservoir;

 therefore,

the

Village’s effluent is water quality limited.

 Since the Village’s

prooosecl

 trod (mont

F~ioi

1

i

i:;

not

o:~p(’(~1

(‘d

~ot~

 Phil

(u)

L~iìdord

 0.0~

inq/

 1~ pI1o5;()I1oru~

too

I\qoiicv

c~iimoL

award

 construct:i on qran 1. or

 is~uoo

coto;

t:1~u(’~

p0im1i~

uni

oo~

tho

Villaqe

 first obtains a variance from the Board.

The Village contends that the best existing phosphorus con-

trol technology is not adequate

 to meet the water quality standard

on a continuous basis.

 The Agency agrees with

 this contention

(Rec.

3).

 Although the Village did consider land application,

this alternative was considered undesirable for economic reasons.

24

—

345

—2—

The National Eutrophication Survey Report on Carlyle

Reservoir states that the Lake is eutrophic and also phosphorus

limited.

 The Village alleges, however,

 that the reduction in

phosphorus

 loading which would occur if the Village implemented

a phosphorus

 removal process would be insignificant compared

to the excessive cost to the community.

 The maximum amount

of phosphorus

 that will be discharged from the proposed facility

will be 3.0 lbs.

 per day, which represents only

 .157

 of the

daily phosphorus loading

 to Carlyle Reservoir.

On January

5,

 1976,

 the Agency filed a Petition for Regu-

latory Change

 (R76-l) with the Board which would amend the

Regulations by requiring only point sources which have 1500 or

more ponulation equivalent

 to treat wastewater

 to a level not

to exceed

 1 mg/i prior

 to discharge.

As

 justification for this

proposal the Agency submits that eutrophication studies by

both the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the

Illinois State Water Survey show that the contribution of point

source dischargers to the total phosphorus problem of lakes

and reservoirs

 is small compared to the non-point contribution.

The Agency submits that non—point sources, such

 as run-off

waters from farm lands fertilized with phosphate base ferti-

lizers, account for the overwhelming majority of the phosphorus

 loading of most lakes and reservoirs.

The denial of this variance would prevent the Village from

utilizing State/Federal grant funds

 to assist in the construction

of a much needed sewage collection system and treatment plant.

Balancing

 this hardship with the extremely small contribution

the Village’s discharge will make to the Carlyle Reservoir phos-

phorus problem convinces the Board that the Village

 is entitled

to relief.

 The Board will require, however, that the Village

design and construct the sewage treatment plant

 to allow for

the possible future installation of anpropriate phosphorus re-

moval facilities.

This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findinqs of fact and

corc1h1~inn~oF mw

 n ihh~

mdi

ni.

The Village of Alma is granted variance for the operation

of its proposed sewage treatment plant from Rules 203(c)

 and 402

of Chapter

3:

 Water Pollution Regulations

 as regards phosphorus

until November

1,

 1981,

 subject to the following conditions:

1.

 The variance will terminate upon adoption by the Board

of any modification of

 the existing phosphorus water quality

standards and effluent limitations and the Village shall comply

with such revised regulations when adopted by the Board.

24

—

346

—3—

2.

 The sewage treatment plant shall be designed

and

con-

structed

to

allow

 for the possible future installation

of appro-

uriute

ehosphorus

 removal facilities.

Within

days

the

date

this

Order,

 the Village

of

 Alma

shaLl

submit

the

Manager,

Variance

Section,

Division

of

Water

Pollution

Control,

Illinois

Environmental

Protection

Aqency,

 2200 Churchill

 Road,

Springfield,

Illinois,

62706,

executed Certification of Acceptance and aqreemcnt to be bound

to all

 terms and conditions of

the

variance.

The

form of said

certification

shall

follows:

CERTIFICATION

I,

 (We)

 ____________________________ havinc read

the Order

 of the Pollution Control Board

 in PCB 76-227,

understand and accept said Order, realizing that

SUCh

acceptance renders

 all terms and conditions thereto

binding and enforceable.

SIGNED

TITLE

DATE

IT

IS

SO ORDERED

Christan

IL.

Moffett,

Clerk

 tho Illinois

 Pollution

ConLrot

 hoard,

er~~v corLi~ly

ahovo

Dpi

nion

and

Order

 wore

aciop Led

Lho

oil

i ~ 76

vote

Christan

Moffett,i~’~lerk

Illinois

Pollution

~~trol

Board

24

347