ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

January

8,

1976

THE FLINTKOTE .CO~PANY,

Petitioner,

v.

)

 PCB 75—381

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

OP.INION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

 (by Mr. Goodman):

This matter comes before the Board upon Petition

The

Flintkote Company

 (Flintkote)

 for an extension of a prior

Variance

 (PCB 74-89) from Section 12(a)

 of the Environmental

Protection Act

 (Act)

 and Rules 203(a),

 402,

 403,

 404(a) (ii),

and 404(b) (ii)

 of Chapter

 3: Water Pollution,

 of the Illinois

Pollution Control Board’s Rules and Regulations.

 The prior

Variance also

applied to Rule 408(a) of Chapter

 3 as that

rule relates to cyanide and was granted from June 26,

 1975,

until October

5,

 1975.

Flintkote operates a felt mill

in Mt. Cannel, Wabash

County,

 Illinois, where pulpwood and wastepaper are processed

into a

felt material ultimately used in the manufacture of

roofing. Flintkote recycles most of its process water by

using the felt produced as

 a filter to trap impurities in

the water and to gain maximum

 usage of the raw materials.

At this time total recycle of

 the- process water has not been

accomplished, some of the spent process water being discharged

to the Wabash River and replaced with relatively clean fresh

water.

 Flintkote proposes a zero discharge system with

complete recirculation and complete usage of all materials

put

 in the’water and,

 to that end, has been experimenting

with flocculants which would cause the impurities in the

process water to be more

easily retained in the product when

strained through the felt Sheet.

Flintkote originally discharged 500,000—700,000

gallons

per day

 (GPD)

 of effluent, adding 3,600 pounds of BOD and

4,000 pounds per day suspended solids to the Wabash River.

At this time Flintkote has been able to recycle all but

18,000 GPD of its process water- and presently discharges

about 900 pounds per day of BOD and 20 to 30 pounds of

suspended solids.

The record indicates that Flintkote is following a very

deliberate and cautious program using high molecular weight

polymers as flocculating agents to facilitate trapping of

the impurities in the process water within the.product felt.

This process appears favorable, with the only problem being

 the precise length of time needed to stabilize the process

water system at a level of chemical concentration that will

achieve the purpose without upsetting the production of

felt.

 Flintkote requests Variance for a period of one year

to accomplish this control;

 the Agency suggests

 a shorter

term VarIance with an option

 to request an extention thereof.

Testimony by Flintkote’s personnel at the hearing tends to

indicate that a minimum of four months exper-imentation under

ideal conditions might result in the total recirculation of

the process water.

 Noting the experimental status of the

recirculation process,

 the Board finds that an additional

four months

 time,

 i.e.,

 a total of eight months,

 should be

sufficient for Petitioner to achieve zero discharge in their

process.

Flintkote will be held to their current level of discharge

while they are perfecting’ their chemical control

 of’ the

process water, and shall report monthly to the Agency and

the Board concerning their progress.

The Board finds that Flintkote has made satisfactory

progress toward completion of a compliance plan that will

result in total recycle which is to be encouraged as the

ultimate treatment.

 Flintkote has expended considerable sums

of money on a program which is acceptable to both the Agency

and the Board.

 To deny ‘this program when it is so near to

completion wouldwork a severe hardship on Petitioner.

This Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and

conclusions of law of the Board.

ORDER

IT IS THE ORDER OF

 POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD that:

1.

 Flintcote

 is hereby granted Variance until

September 1, 1976 for its discharge of process’waters

at that Mt.

 Carme.

 facility from Section 12(a)

 of the

Act as

it relates to BOD and suspended solids, from

Rules

 404(a) and 408(a)

 as it pertains to

cyanide,

subject to the following conditions:

a.

 Flintkote shall not substantially change

the character and nature of its raw material

feedetock without giving the Agency and the Board

prior 30—day written notice; and

19—002

(3)

b.

 Flintkote’s discharge of cyanide shall

not exceed 1.0 mg/i at any time;

c.

 Fiintkote’s waste water discharge during

this variance shall be limited

to:

(i)

 20,000 gallons per day;

(ii)

 30 pounds per day of

suspended solids

 as a daily

average;

and

(iii)

 900 pounds per day of BOD5

and

d.

 Flintkote shall take grab samples every

six hours

 for 24 hour periods each week and

mathematically, compute 24 hour composites from

same for suspended solids and BOD5..

 The results

of said samples shall be included ‘in monthly

progress reports which Flintkote shall continue to

submit to

 Agency

 and. the Board, detailing

progress on

 PI’iase

 II; and

2.

 The bond posted in PCB .72-152 shall remain in

full force and effect until completion of conditions of

the bond at which time the Agency shall execute and

deliver

 a b6nd release. to Flintkote;

and

3.

 Flintkote, during the term of this variance,

shall not use in its compliance plan or in its manufacturing

processes any of the contaminants listed in Rule 408

of the Water Regulations except as may be found to

occur in Flintkote’s normal raw material feed stock of

wood pulp and paper as reported in PCB 71-68 and PCB

72—152;

4.

 Flintkote

 shall complete Phase II and cease

all discharges,

 other than non—contact cooling water,

on or before September 1,

 1976;

5.

 Upon the completion of Phase II and the

cessation of all discharges, Flintkote shall seal its

discharge point so that no future discharges may occur;

and

6.

 Within

 35 days after the date of the Board

Order herein,

 The Flintkote Company shall execute and

submit to the Manager, Variance Section, Division of

Water Pollution Control, Illinois Environmental Protection

Agency,

 2200 Churchill Road, Springfield,

 Illinois

62706,

 ‘a Certificate of Acceptance

 and agreement to be

19—

bound

 to all terms and conditions. of the Variance.

The

form of said certification shall be as

follows:

I,

 (We)

 _____________________________

 having read the

Order of the Illinois Pollution Control Board

 in case

No. PCB 75-381 understand and accept said Order, realizing

that such acceptance renders all terms and conditions

thereto binding and enforceable.

SIGNED

TITLE

DATE

Mr. Young abstains.

Clerk Illinois P

 tion

Control Board