ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

January 10, 1905

THE VILLAGE OF ELK GROVE VILLAGE,

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 84—158

ILLINOIS ENVIRONM~TAL

PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondents

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

(by B~Forcade):

This matter comes to the Board upon a petition for variance

filed by The Village of Elk Grove Village (~ElkGrove”)

on Octo-

ber 30,

1984 and amended November 19,

1984.

Elk Grove seeks a

variance until January

1,

1986 from Board regulations,

at 35

Ill.

Adm. Code 604.301(a), which establish radiological quality standards

for finished public drinking water supplies.

On December 3,

1984

the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (“Agency”)

filed a

recommendation that variance be granted from Section 604.301(a)

until January

1,

1986,

subject to certain conditions.

No objec-

tions were received; no hearing was held.

Elk Grove has a public water supply servicing approximately

30,000 residential users and 2,000 business and industrial users.

It distributes about two billion gallons of water a year to its

users.

The water is withdrawn from twelve deep wells (approxi-

mately 1400 feet)

and two shallow wells

(less than 150 feet).

The distribution system includes over 150 miles of mains and

9

reservoirs that hold over 10 million gallons of water

(Pet., pp

2—3).

In 1979 and 1980 four

individua:L

samples from the Elk Grove

distribution system were collected and blended for a composite

sample.

The composite sample was

analyzed

by the United States

Environmental Protection Agency

Laboratory with the following

results

(Rec,

¶ 9):

radium

—

226

=

4.4 plus or minus 0.1 pCi/I

radium

—

228

=

4.1 plus or minus 1.0 pCi/l

combined radium

8.5 pCi/I

A maximum allowable concentration of

5

pCi/i

radium

—

226 and 228

is established by

35

Ill,

Adm. Code 604,301(a).

Elk Grove was

62-295

---

not

informed

of

the

results

c~Eth~’ i~t:~ng

until

late

1984.

For

reasons

unrelated

~

t

LdL

o~Lcn~

ontaminants,

Elk

Grove

has

been

pursuing

a

new

water

:rdr~nriss1on

Line

which

would

bring

Lake

Michigan

water to Elk

Gr~Vt~ S~ve~

iocal

governmental

units,

including

Elk Grove,

ar~investing

$150

million

in

a

water

transmission

system to serve

~

750F°°0

people

in

northwest

Cook

County.

This

system,

‘~hen ~nplete~

~

I

eliminate

the

radium

and

barium

protiemc

endeni

to

wells

tn

that

area,

Elk

Grove’s

conversion

from ~

I wate.

tn Lake

~iichigan

water

is

scheduled

for

mid

~o late

~9$5

F~et. pp 3-~4

~,

While

radia

:on at aiy Ieve~ ~reate~ qome

risk,

Elk

Grove

and

the

Agency

a~ee

that

level::~ drier co:ioideration

here

(8.5

pCi/i)

would

impose

no signiticar t

Ln~Juryupon the

public

for

the

variance

term

requested

(Reo., ¶17;

Pet.,

p

5~.

The

Board

finds

that

iinmedthte

~rpliance

with

Section

604,301(a)

would

impose

an

arbitiery

or

rureasonable

hardship

on

Elk

Grove

in

view

Df

the

maninal

eXpe:tEt

adverse

impact.

Con-

sequently

the

Board

will

grant

va~1ai~e,

with

the

conditions

requested

by

the

Agency,

until

ianuary

l~ 1986.

The

Board

notes

that

although

Elk

Grove

mentions

gross

alpha

particle

activity

in

its

petition,

the

record

before

the

Board

shows

Elk

Grove

to

be

in

compliance

with

this

parameter

Consequently

no

variance

for

gross

alpha

is

necessary.

This

Opinion constitutes the Board~s

findings of

fact and

conclusions

of law

on this matter.

The

Village

of Elk Grove c~lIage is hereby

granted a

vari-

ance

from

the

combined

radinr

2.L~ ao’i ~

standard

of

35

Ill.

Adm. Code

604.301(a)

for

their putl:~c ~ater

~uppiy

subject to the

following

conditions:

1.

This

variance shell

~‘

r

i ~s on January

1,

1986.

2.

Elk

Grove Vii~~a.

I

r.~e

to

construct

the

Lake

Michigan

water

trauert:~c~1sn ~vstarnso

1t

will

be fully

operational ~

~J~ncei.

,

3

Pursuant to

35 ~i 1

:~

1

C~d

~

61t

7O1~

Elk

Grove

Vil-

lage

shall send t~cant v~’~~1 rts

:subiic

water

supply

a written notioe~t~

E

n:ecc

that

it

has

been

granted

a

variance

from

the .:eL~um

226 and

radium

—

228

standard,

in

rIte tinat set~ti water

bills

issued after

the

grant

of th s ver~.cc and every

three

months

thereafter.

4,

Within

~

days

Le ~

re Late

of

this

Order,

Petiti

)~er

shall

±

~

t~wa~i

to

the Illinois

Envircnctantal

Protect:on

~c;encj,2200

Churchill

Road,

Springfield,

IlIinoi~

~

a

Certificate

of

Accept—

81Zirn

---

ance and A3reeme~tto be bound to all

terms

and condi-

tions of this variance.

~his forty-~’five

day period

shall be held

in aL~yar e fo~any period

this matter

is

being appealed.

.h~L~~ri

of the certificate

shall be

as follows:

I,

(We),

_________,

having

read

the

Order of the Illinois Pollution Control

Board

in PCB

84—158,

dated January 10,

1985,

understand and accept

the said

Order,

realizing that cud

acceptar~renders all

terms and

conditions thereto binding and enforceable.

Petitioner

By:

Authorized

Agent

Title

Date

IT

IS SO ORDPRBD

I,

Dorothy

M.

Gunr

I

tie

I linois

Pollution

Control

Board,

hereby

‘~rtiIj

~na

e

nion

and

Order

was

adopted

on

~a

1985

by a vote

h

Gu~,

Clerk

Ui.

o a

Pollution