ILLINOIS POLLUTION

CONTROL BOARD

August

4,

1977

Dodds School District #54

PCB 77~i56

ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION AGENCY

OPINION

AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

(by

Mr.

Durnelle)

This

matter

•comes

before

th.e

Pollution

COfltiol

(B~~ard)upon

the

June

9,

1977

Petition

of

Dodds

School

District

#54

(DSD)

for

a

variance

from

Rules 203(c),

402

and

404(f)

of

Chapter

3:

Water

Pollution,

DSD

waived

its

right

to

a

hearing

and

the

Environmental

Protection Agency

(Agency)

filed

its Agency

Recommendation

on

July

11,

1977~

DSD

owns

and

operates Dodds

School,

an

elementary

schoo3

with

a present

student

population

of

168,

located

in

rural

Je~.ferso.i

County,

Illinois~

A sewage treatment plant

(STP)

is

located

t

the

school which consists of an Imhoff tank,

a dosing

tani4. with

two automatic dosing siphons and an intermittent sand filters

Effluent

from

the

STPflows

into

Fend

Lake~

DSP

proposes

to

upgrade this facljity

DSD

has

also

sougnt

a

~Pfefrer

e’~emp~o”~

from

Rule

404tf)

,

as

proviaea by

Rule

404(f)

(~

wh

c1’

requ

~es

a

showing

the

effluent

from

the

STP,

alone or

15.

combination

with

othe~

sources

will

not

c•ause

a

violation

of

any

all,

cable

water

qua.iit~rstandard~

G’ranting a variance

froiti Rule 203 Cc)

and., Rule

as regards

phosphorus would permit Agency granting of a Pfeffer

exemption even

though DSD

could

not

show that its effluent,

alone or

in combination with other sources, does

not

cause

violation of the phosphorus water quality

standard.

As

a result,

a

variance

from Rule 404(f)

is not

necessary.

The

Agency

submits

that

requiring

phosphorus

removal

to

the

0.05 mg/I

is

economically

unreasonahle~

Consistent

with

this

belief the

Agency

uias

filea

a

Petition

for

Rea~1acory

Change

wtict

if

adopted would exempt DSD from any requirement

to

remove

phosphorus

from

wastewater~

Thus,

an arbitrary and unreasonable

hardship has

been

shown here.

The Board has repeatedly granted

variances

from

the

phosphorus

water

quality

standard

because

sf

excessive

costs of rembval,

~

of CerroGordo,

PCB

75~l82,

PCB

75~l83,

18

PCB

152;

Village

of

Strasburg,

PCB 76-28; Old Ben Coal

Company,

PCB 76-21;

City of

Hoopeston, PCB

76-234; City of Arcola,

PCB

76~280; Caseythile

---

Township,

PCB 77-14; City of Gibsen City,

PCB 77—96; Village

of Stewardsen,

PCB 77—104; Village of Kansas, PCB 77—109;

Village of Harick, PCB 77—110;

Southern Illinois University

(~dwardsville)

,

slight,

Since granting a variance here will permit Agency approval of

The Board grants

a variance from Rule 203(c)

and Rule 402

of Chapter

3:

1,

following conditions.

First,

Second, DSD agrees to operate and maintain its existing STP in a

manner which

will

achieve maximum effiency in wastewater

treatment,

This Opinion and Order constitutes the findings of fact and

conclusions of

ORDER

Dodds School District #54

is granted a variance from Rule 203

and Rule 402

(as regards phosphorus)

of Chapter

3:

until June

1,

1982, subject to the following conditions:

1.

This variance will terminate upon adoption by ti~oBoard

of any modification of the existing phosphorus wate~~jua1ity

standards and effluent limitations and the Village shall compi

with such revised regulation when adopted by the Board

2.

DSD agrees to operate its treatment plant in a manner

acceptable to the Agency,

and shall provide for removd~of

sludge from the Imhoff tank, disposal of sludge at an

approved

d

iS)Osdl

site

,

and

the

niainteiiaiice

of the

sand

filter surface to keep it free from weeds.

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 Certification of Acceptance and agreement to be

bound to all terms and conditions of the variance.

The form

of said certification shall be as follows:

---

CERTIFICATION

I,

(We),

____

___

___________having read the Order

of the Pollution

Control Board in PCB 77-156,

understand and

accept said Order,

realizing that such acceptance

renders all

terms and conditions

thereto binding and enforceable.

IT

IS SO4ORDERED

SIGNED

TITLE

DATE

I, Christan L.

Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois

Pollution Control

Board, hereby certify

the above Opinion and Order

were adopted on

the

44.

day ~

1977 by a

vote

of________

Illinois Poliutio