ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
December 4,
1975
OLIN CORPORATION,
)
Petitioner,
v.
)
PCB 75—369
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
)
Respondent.
OPINION
AND
ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr.
Goodman):
This matter comes before the Pollution Control Board
(Board)
upon Petition for Extension of Variance by Olin
Corporation
(Olin),
for Zones
6 and
17 of its waste water
treatment facilities from Rule 203(f), Part II, Chapter
3 of
the Water Pollution Regulations of the State of Illinois.
Olin was granted variance from the same Rule in PCB 73-484
(December 19, 1974).
Olin operates a manufacturing plant in East Alton,
Illinois, which occupies an area of approximately 1732
acres.
Approximately 5600 workers are employed at the East
Alton location with an annual payroll of some $65 million
and with local purchases of approximately $2 million for
supplies and services.
The East Alton area has been designated
as a labor surplus area by the Federal Government,
and Olin
has, and applies,
an approved plan to employ disadvantaged
persons from this area.
Olin conducts a brass casting operation and manufactures
copper,
copper-base alloy slabs,
and copper-alloy tubing at
its Zone 17.
At Zones
1 and 7, brass strip and fabricated
products, metallic and shot shell ammunition are manufactured,
and a steam generating plant and a potable water treatment
plant are operated.
At Zone 4, Olin manufactures shot shell
ammunition and primer explosives.
Waste water discharges from Zones
1,
4 and
7 are
treated by Olin’s Zone
6 Waste Water Treatment Facilities,
while Zone 17 Waste Water discharges are treated by Zone
17
facility.
Bcth facilities employ a lime precipitation and
polymer coagulation and flocculation process.
After treatment
the effluent from both facilities is either pumped or can
flow by gravity to the east fork of Wood River.
Sludge is
dewatered by means of coil filters.
Average discharge from
Zone
6 treatment facility is 2.5 million gallons per day and
from the Zone 17 facility,
0.7 million gallons per day.
19
-
404
—2—
Under Rules
203 and 404 of Chapter
3, Olin’s effluent
must meet a BOD of
4 mg/l,
a suspended solids of
5 mg/l, and
a copper concentration of 0.02 mg/l, because the dilution
ratio of the receiving stream is less than
1 to
1.
Although
both treatment plants have improved on the design criteria
as to BOD, suspended solids,
and copper, the requirements of
Rule 203 and 404 have not yet been met.
The Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency filed its recommendation on
October 24,
1975,
verifying the foregoing facts and further
stating that no economically feasible method is presently
available for Olin to consistently meet the 0.02 copper
standard.
The Agency states that Olin has consistently made
good faith efforts
to correct its copper problem and that
its Waste Water Treatment Plants are being maintained and
operated in the best possible manner.
Indeed,
the plants
and are exceeding their original design criteria.
The
Agency recommends that the variance be granted subject to
certain conditions.
No hearing was held in this matter and
no citizen complaints are on file.
Although the stream is in
a polluted state, Olin con-
tends that extension of the variance would not impose any
injury upon the public and offers,
as proof, sampling by
both the Agency and Olin which indicates that no degradation
of Wood River has taken place
as a result of said discharges.
In addition, Wood River from Zone
6 discharge to its con-
fluence with the Mississippi River is not used by the public
for any beneficial purpose.
Petitioner contends that the
only practical method of achieving compliance with the 0.02
mg/I copper water quality standard would be to shut down or
greatly diminish its East Alton plant operations imposing
upon Olin, its employees,
its suppliers,
customers, stock-
holders,
and the Madison County community an arbitrary and
unreasonable hardship.
The Board rejects the notion that the denial of a
variance would force Olin to shut down their operation.
However it
is clear that Olin has pursued their duties under
the previous variance in good faith and that there
is no
reasonable method at the present time by which Olin can
comply with the copper standard.
The Board will,
therefore,
grant Olin’s petition for a variance from Rule 203(f) upon
the condition that their Waste Water Treatment Facilities do
not exceed a 0.5 mg/l discharge of copper and that Petitioner
continue to investigate new means of controlling its effluent
discharge of copper, particularly the feasibility of using
the starch xanthate method at such time. as
it becomes
commercially available.
This Opinion constitutes
the findings of fact and
conclusions of law of the Board in this matter.
19-
405
—
ORDER
It is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that
Olin corporation be granted variance from Rule 203(f) Part
II of Chapter
3 of the Water Regulations
for the discharge
of copper from its Zone
6 and 17 wastewater treatment
facilities until December
19,
1977, upon the following
conditions:
A.
That Olin’s discharge from Zones
6 and 17
wastewater treatment facilities not exceed 0.5 mg/i of
copper
on a daily average basis;
B.
That Olin continue to investigate additional
means of controlling its effluent discharge of copper;
C.
That Olin submit quarterly progress reports
to
the Agency on its investigation;
D.
That Olin report to the Board and the Agency
on the feasibility of using the starch xanthate method
within 90 days after it becomes commercially available;
E.
That should a procedure to reduce copper become
available prior to the end of this variance, Olin shall
immediately submit a final compliance plan to the Board
and the Agency, including a date specific for compliance.
F.
Within
30 days of the adoption of this Order
the Petitioner shall execute and forward to both the
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 2200 Churchill
Road, Springfield, Illinois
62706 and the Pollution
Control Board,
a Certification of Acceptance and agree-
ment to be bound to all terms and conditions of this
Order.
The form of said certification shall be
as
follows:
CERTIFICATION
I
(We), ________________________ having read and fully
understanding the Order of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board in PCB 75-369 hereby accept said Order
and agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions
thereof.
Signed
____________________
Title _______________________
Date _________________________
Mr. Young abstained.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board,
hereby c~rtifythe above Opi
•on and Order
were adopted on the
4”’
day of
_______________
1975 by a vote of J...p
1g...4~
Christan
L. Moffe p~5.ler
Illinois Pollution’~rntrolBoard