ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October
22,
1981
ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY,
Complainant,
V.
)
PCB 79—275
COMMONWEALTH EDISON,
an Illinois
)
Corporation,
(Joliet Generating
)
Station),
Respondent.
MR. WILLIAM E. BLAKNEY, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, APPEARED
ON BEHALF OF THE COMPLAINANT;
MS. SUSAN B. PROCTOR, ISHAM, LINCOLN
& BEAL, APPEARED ON BEHALF
OF THE RESPONDENT.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by J.D. Dumelie):
This matter comes before the Board on a complaint which
was filed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
(Agency) on December 21,
1979,
alleging that Commonwealth
Edison Company
(Edison) violated Rules 408 and 901 of Chapter
3:
Water Pollution,
and Sections 12(a)
and 12(f)
of the Illinois
Environmental Protection Act (Act).
On January
20,
1980,
Edison moved to consolidate this matter with PCB 79-272, —273,
—274,
and 78—272.
That motion was denied by the Board on
February
7,
1980.
Hearing was held on September 16,
1981
at which time a settlement agreement was presented.
No members
of the public were present.
Edison owns and operates a generating station in Joliet
which consists of four coal—fired units
(numbered 5—8)
that
discharge to the Des Plaines River.
On June
9,
1977 the Board
granted Edison a variance for certain of these discharges
until March
1,
1979
(PCB 77—13,
25 PCB 703).
Edison has
discharged pursuant to NPDES Permit No. 0002216.
Edison has stipulated to numerous violations of Board
rules,
the permit the variance and the Act as indicated below
(Stip.
3—7).
Date
Discharge Point
Contaminant
Violation
1/78—3/78,
Pyrite Sluice Pond
TSS
Rule 408
6/78,
10/78,
11/78,
2/79 & 3/79
43—521
—2—
8/79—10/79
5/79
4/79—10/79
7/79—11/79
5/78,1/79—5
Total Iron
Total Iron
TSS
TSS
TSS
Ch10rifle
Residual
Chlorine
Residual
unpermitted
unpermitted
BOD5
TSS
feca? coliform
301)
TSS
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
NPDES Permit
NPDES Permit
NPDES Permit
NPDES Permit
NPDES Permit
NPDES
NPDES Permit
NPDES Permit
2/78 and 10/78 Pyrite
sluice
Pond
10/77—4/78
Demineralizer Filter
and 12/78—3/79 Backwash
4/79,5/79,
Quarry
7/79 and 8/79
4/79 and
5/79
Recirculating Combined
Treatment System
4/79 and 5/79
Demineralizer Regenera~’
tive Waste
3/78,7/78 and
Condenser Cooling Water,
Boiler Blowdown,
House
Service Water, Deminera—
lizing Waste
Condenser Cooling Water
units
7 and 8
Quarry
Floor,
Roof and Yard
Run—off
Chemical Treatment
Syst
em 31owdown
/79
Sewage
Treatment
Plant
Serving units
5
and
6
STP
(5 and 6)
STP
(5 and 6)
STP
(5 and 6
/79
Sewage
Treatment
Piant
Serving units
7 and
8
STP
(7 and 8))
STP
(7 and 8)
12/78,1/79
and 4/79
11/78,1/79,
2/79 and
6
11/77—4/78,
12/78—3/79
and 5/79
11/77, 1/78,
2/78,5/7 8, 12/78—
2/79,5/79 and 6/79
12/77,1/78,
6/78,7/78,1/79,
2/79 and 4/79—6/79
STP
(7 and
8)
4/79
1/79—11/79
STP
(7 and 8)
Bottom Ash Overflows
fecal coliform NPDES Permit
pH
NPDES Permit
unpermitted
43— 522
—3—
By causing the discharges described above,
Edison has
violated its WPDES permits, Board Rules 408 and 901 and Sections
12(a)
and 12(f)
of the Act.
The Agency and Edison agree that these violations created
a potential for injury to and interference with the health, general
welfare and physical property of the people of the State,
and
that
a $10,000 civil penalty should be assessed
(Stip. 11—12).
They also agree that Edison shall cease and desist from these
violations
(Stip.
12).
In order to assess whether the penalty is appropriate
the Board would prefer to have more specific information
regarding the environmental harm, if any, caused by these
violations.
However, given the points of discharge and the
lack of any adverse public reaction at hearing,
the Board
finds the penalty to be reasonable.
The Board therefore
finds
the stipulated agreement acceptable under Section 33(c) of the
Act and Procedural Rule 331.
This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact
and conclusions of law in this matter.
ORDER
1.
Commonwealth Edison Company has violated Rules 408 and
901 of Chapter
3:
Water Pollution, and Section 12 of the
Act.
2.
It is hereby ordered that Edison shall cease and desist
from any and all violations of the Act and Rules 408
and 901 of Chapter 3 for all discharges at the Joliet
Generating Station,
and otherwise comply with all terms
and conditions of the Stipulation of Facts and Proposal
for Settlement filed in this matter on September 22,
1981, which is incorporated by reference as if fully
set forth herein.
3.
Within 30 days of the date of this Order,
Edison shall,
by certified check or money order payable to the State
of Illinois, pay the stipulated penalty of $10,000 which
is to be sent to:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Fiscal Services Division
2200 Churchill Road
Springfield,
Illinois
62706
IT IS SO ORDERED.
43—523
—4—
I,
Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board, hereby c~rtifythat th,~above Opinion and Order
was1~doptedon the
~
day of
(3b-~~~.’
,
1981 by a vote
of~.-p
Christan L.
Illinois Pollution Control Board
43—524