ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
    March 17,
    1977
    CITY OF FARMINGTON,
    )
    )
    Petitioner,
    )
    v.
    )
    PCB 77-41
    ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
    )
    )
    Respondent.
    OPINION
    AND
    ORDER OF THE BOARD
    (by Mr.
    Goodman):
    On February 3,
    1977,
    the City of Farmington
    (City)
    filed a
    Petition for Variance before the Pollution Control Board
    (Board) re-
    questing relief from the Board’s Order in PCB 75-129
    (May
    20,
    1976)
    requiring installation of a grit chamber at its wastewater treatment
    plant.
    The Agency filed
    its Recommendation on March
    4,
    1977.
    No
    hearing has been held in
    this matter.
    The City’s sewage treatment plant, which was constructed in 1956,
    is to be abandoned in early 1978.
    It was designed to serve a popu-
    lation of 4,000,
    and the attached population to the plant is
    currently
    about 4,000.
    The trickling filter,
    however, was designed for a popu-
    lation of 3,000.
    Prior to 1975, the proper operation and maintenance
    of the plant had been neglected, resulting in poor quality effluent
    being discharged to Littler’s Creek.
    The Agency indicates better
    operation of the sewaqe treatment plant has occurred as
    a result of
    the enforcement action filed in PCB 75-129.
    The City was awarded a Step
    2 and Step
    3 state grant on April
    30,
    1976,
    for the construction of a lift station,
    8,500 feet of
    16”
    force main and
    a two cell lagoon system followed by intermittent sand
    filters and chlorination designed to serve 4,800 PE.
    Operation of
    the new facilities is to begin February 28,
    1978.
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    On
    May
    20,
    1976,
    the Board,
    in PCB 75—346, granted the City a
    variance from the BOD and suspended solids limitations of Rule 404(f)
    of the Water Regulations, Chapter
    3 of the Board’s Rules and Regu-
    lations,
    for
    its
    wastewater treatment facility until March
    31,
    1977,
    subject
    to various conditions.
    One of those conditions was that a grit
    chamber be installed and operated as soon as practicable,
    in no event
    later than January
    31,
    1977.
    The grit chamber requirement was intended
    to insure that there would be no bypassing of the treatment plant
    directly to the receiving stream.
    Whenever grit accumulated in the
    primary tank,
    the plant would have to be
    shut down and the
    primary
    tank drained and cleaned.
    Subsequent to the City’s original petition for variance, the City
    and the Agency determined that installation of a grit chamber would
    not be necessary if sludge was removed from the primary clarifier
    frequently.
    The Agency and the City on April
    8,
    1976, requested the
    Board to
    modify its Order requiring the installation of
    a grit chamber.
    The Board, however, held that a proposal to modify
    a previous Board
    Order some two months after compliance was to be completed was inappro-
    priate.
    The Board suggested that Respondent follow the variance pro-
    cedures.
    The Agency indicates that the City has adequately complied with
    the Order issued in PCB 75-129,
    except for the requirement of the in-
    stallation of the grit chamber.
    Agency field personnel report that to
    date they are not aware of any recent bypassing of the treatment plant
    due to accumulated grit
    in the primary tank.
    The City contends that denial of its variance request will result
    in an arbitrary and unreasonable hardship.
    Installation of the grit
    chamber would cost $9,000.00 but it would have
    a useful life to the
    City of only
    16 months, ending when the new sewage treatment facility
    would be operational.
    The Agency recommends that the City be relieved of the require-
    ment
    to install
    a grit chamber, subject to certain conditions including
    availability of
    a high-velocity trash pump,
    daily removal of sludge
    from the primary clarifiers and installation of a bypass around the
    primary tank to the trickling
    filter.
    The Board agrees with the
    Agency’s conclusion and will grant the variance requested herein,
    subject to the conditions listed below.
    This Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and conclusions
    of
    law of the Board in this matter.
    25
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    146
    —3—
    ORDER
    It
    is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that the City of
    Farmington be granted variance from the Board’s Orders in PCB 75-129
    and ?CB 75-346
    to the extent that installation of a grit chamber shall
    not be required, subject to the following conditions:
    1.
    that sludge is removed daily from the primary
    clarifiers;
    2.
    that a high-velocity trash pump be made available;
    3.
    that a bypass be installed around the primary tank to
    the trickling filter;
    4.
    that bypassing around the primary tank be minimized to
    the lowest practicable degree.
    I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
    Board,
    hereby certify the above Opinion and Order were adopted on the
    __________day of
    ,
    1977 by a vote of
    4’-O
    Christan
    L.
    Moff~’),
    Clerk
    Illinois Pollution Control Board
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