ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
June
7,
1973
CENTRALIA
ENGINEERING
AND
MACHINE
CORPORATION
#73—119
v.
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY
)
OPINION
AND
ORDER
OF
THE
BOARD
(BY
SAMUEL
T.
LAWTON,
JR.):
Petitioner
owns
property
on
which
an
abandoned
mine
shaft
is
located.
On
September
1,
1971,
the Agency issued a permit to
petitioner
allowing
for
the
shaft
in
question
and
an
additional
one
not
the
subject
of
this
proceeding, to be used jointly as a solid
waste
disposal
site,
subject
to
the
standard
conditions
including
the
limitation that the authority granted by the permit allowed disposal
only of non-combustible and non-putrescible
refuse.
The site was used for disposal of concrete refuse material.
Petitioner appears
to have complied with
the
provisions of
the permit.
However,
at the present time, concrete refuse has been piled above
grade between ten feet and fifteen feet.
Petitioner seeks to be re-
lieved of the daily and final compacting and covering requirements
contained in Rule 5.07(a)
and
(b) of the Rules and Regulations For
Refuse
Disposal
Sites
and
Facilities.
Agency
Exhibit
1
depicts
the
present
condition
of
the
site.
Except
for
the
rather
unsightly
visual
attributes,
there
does
not
seem
to
be
any significant environmental danger likely to result from
leaving the concrete refuse uncovered.
While petitioner suggests the
possibility that the refuse may Esettle in the shaft and ultimately,
be jowered to a point where cover is feasible, th~evidence of settling,
both in the shaft in question and the other one previously used and
covered, does not indicate the likelihood that significant settling
will occur in the immediate future.
We believe that petitioner should take steps
to bring its
operation
into
compliance
with
the
relevant regulations, either by
breaking
up
the
concrete
to
enable
its
accommodation
by
the
shaft
or
removal
of
that
presently
above
grade,
or
a
combination
of
both.
We
will
grant
petitioner
a
one-year
variance
from
the
provi-
sions
of
the
Rules
and
Regulations for Refuse Disposal Sites and Facilities
in
order
to
develop
a program to achieve this result.
Prior
8
—
23~
to Nove~nber7, 1973,
petitioner is directed to submit to the
Agency and the Board,
its program to achieve compliance with the
relevant Regulations.
This opinion constitutes the findings of fact and conclusions
of law of the Board.
IT IS THE ORDER of the Pollution Control Board that:
1.
Centralia Engineering and Machine Corporation be
granted
a variance until June 7,
1974 from Section
507(a)
and
(b) of the Rules and Regulations for Refuse
Disposal Sites
and Facilities, with respect to cover
and
compacting of its mine shaft property constituting
the subject matter of this proceeding.
Petitioner
shall take all necessary steps to assure that adequate
fencing
is erected to prevent the site from becoming
an attractive nuisance or source of danger.
2.
Petitioner will report to the Agency and the Board
no later than November
7,
1973,
its program to achieve
compliance with the foregoing Regulations.
I, Christan Moffett, Clerk of the Pollution Control Board, certify
that the above Opinion and Order was adopted on the
1h
day of
June,
1973, by a vote of
1
to ~
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232