ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

June

9

,

1977

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

AT EDWARDSVILLE,

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 77—111

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

(by Mr.

Young):

This matter comes before the Board

on

the variance petition

filed on April 15,

1977,

by Southern Illinois University at

Edwardsville seeking relief from Rules

203(c)

and 402 of the

Water Pollution Regulations as regards phosphorus.

The Agency

Recommendation favorable to the grant of the variance was

filed

on May 16,

1977.

The Board has previously dealt with many petitions in which

relief was sought from the requirement of meeting the phosphorus

water quality standard.

Village of Argenta and Village of Cerro

Gordo,

PCB 75-182, PCB 75-183,

18 PCB 152; Village of Strasburg,

PCB 76--28; Old Ben Coal Company, PCB 76-21; City of Iloopeston,

PCB 76-234.

In this instance, Petitioner seeks relief so that

it can proceed with its grant activities and the upgrading of

its existing sewage treatment plant.

The proposed treatment

plant is designed to produce an effluent of less than 1.0 mg/i

phosphorus.

The Agency states

that requiring phosphorus

removal

to the

0.05 mg/i

level

is technically feasible

bUt

economically un-

reasonable

(Rec.

2).

Consistent with this belief,

the Agency has

filed

a Petition for Regulatory Change

(R76—l

)

with the Board which

would

amend the regulations by requiring only point sources which

have

1500

or

more

population

equivalent

and

which

discharge

into

impoundments of greater than twenty acres

to treat the wastewater

to

a level not to exceed

1 mg/i prior to discharge.

The Petitioner’s

proposed facility has a design average flow in excess of 1500 popu-

lation equivalent and if the regulation

is adopted as proposed the

petitioner would be required to treat to a level of

1 mg/i phosphorus.

As in the earlier cited cases,

the Board finds here that the

Petitioner would suffer an arbitrary or unreasonable hardship if

required to meet the 0.05 mg/l phosphorus water quality standard

and will

therefore grant the requested relief.

The Board will

25

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775

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require

that

the

Petitioner

install

and

operate

the

requisite

equipment

necessary

to

reduce

the

phosphorus

concentration

in

its

discharge

to

1

mg/l,

in

accordance

with

the

compliance

schedule

contained

in

the

petition.

This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact

and

ORDER

The Petitioner, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville,

is granted a variance for its sewage treatment plant from Rules

203(c) and 402 of Chapter 3:

Water Pollution Control Regulations

as regards phosphorus until

June

1, 1982, subject to the following

conditions:

1.

This variance will terminate upon adoption by the Board

of any modification of the existing phosphorus water quality

standards

and

effluent limitations and the Petitioner shall comply

with such revised regulations when adopted by the Board.

2.

Petitioner install and operate phosphorus removal equipment

capable of limiting phosphorus to 1 mg/l in accordance with the

compliance schedule contained within the petition for variance

(Pet.

24), and which is included herein by reference.

3.

Within 35 days of the date of this Order, the Petitioner

shall submit to the Manager, Variance Section, Division of Water

Pollution Control, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 2200

Churchill Road, Springfield,

Illinois, 62706, an executed Certifica-

tion of Acceptance and agreement to be

bound

to all terms and con-

ditions of the variance.

The form of said certification shall be

as follows:

CZKTSFSCATSUN

I,

(We),

__________________________

having

read

the Order of the Pollution Control Board in PCB 77-111,

understand and accept said Order, realizing that such

acceptance renders all terms and conditions thereto

TITLE

DATE

a

—

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—3—

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

‘lt

day of

~

,

1977 by a vote of

Christan L.

Mo feV

Clerk

Illinois Pollutio

ntrol Board

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