ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
July 13,
1989
COMMONWEALTH EDISON
QUAD CITIES POWER STATION,
Petitioner,
v.
)
PCB 89—115
ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY,
)
Respondent.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by
3.
Marlin):
This matter comes before the Board upon a recommendation
filed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
(“Agency”)
on July 12,
1989 recommending the Board grant a 45—day
provisional variance to Commonwealth Edison’s Quad Cities Power
Station.
Commonwealth Edison requests a variance from their
thermal discharge limitations under
35 Ill.
Adin. Code 302.211 and
Part 303.
Commonwealth Edison owns and operates Quad Cities nuclear—
fueled electrical generating facility located near Cordova,
Illinois on the Mississippi River.
This station consists of
2
boiling water nuclear fission reactors each providing steam to
a
turbine generator.
Two boiling water reactors provide a maximum
capacity of 1666 megawatts.
Circulating water used to cool and
condense the steam from the generating process
is discharged to
the Mississippi River.
According to the Agency, Commonwealth Edison’s NPDES permit
states
that,
“Water
temperature at representative locations
in
the main river shall not exceed the maximum limits
identified
in
the following table during more than one
(1) percent of the hours
(87.6 hrs.)
in the 12—month period ending with any month.
Moreover, at
no time shall
the water
temperature at such
locations exceed the maximum limits
in the following table by
more than 3°F” (special condition #6,
B,
NPDES permit
#1L0002224):
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
°F 45
45
57
68
78
85
86
86
85
75
65
52
Commonwealth Edison has stated that the extremely hot
weather and moderate drought conditions have caused low river
1~U—125
—2—
flows, elevated ambient river temperatures, and decreased heat
dissipation which have
in various combinations imposed severe
operating restrictions on several of Edison’s generating
stations.
While at the same time,
record electrical demands have
occurred.
This has resulted in Commonwealth Edison’s electrical
reserve levels to become dangerously low.
Commonwealth Edison has stated that the Quad Cities Station
has used up all their available hours
for the station as of July
10,
1989.
The Agency agrees with Commonwealth Edison that denial
of this provisional variance would impose an arbitrary or
unreasonable hardship upon Commonwealth Edison.
Commonwealth Edison has requested an additional 100 hours to
be used during this provisional variance period.
Commonwealth
Edison’s current permit limits will allow them to recover 71.6
hrs. as of August
1,
1989.
Commonwealth Edison has stated “we
would like
to point out that this request essentially grants only
28.4 hours of exceedance than we would normally experience under
existing standards; however,
it allows the redistribution of some
of these hours into July,
if necessary.
In addition, the hours
of standard temperature exceedance experienced during this
provisional variance period shall
not be credited toward the 87.6
hours exceedance limitation imposed by the NPDES permit’t
(Variance Request at
2).
Commonwealth Edison has also stated
that the request
for additional hours will not affect
their
intention to observe the 3°Fallowable temperature excursion.
Commonwealth Edison has stated that “typically, ambient
water temperatures in Pool
14 do not exceed 80°Fduring the
summer months.
However,
the unusually hot and dry weather we
have experienced this summer have caused ambient water
temperatures
to
raise above 80°F
throughout much of the summer.
Ambient water
temperatures exceeding 84.2°Fhave occurred
regularly for short periods throughout
July.
The rise
in
temperature has occurred gradually over several months time and
the fish community has had sufficient
time
to respond
to
increased temperatures.”
The Agency obtained temperature data
from Commonwealth Edison by phone on July 11,
1989 indicating the
river temperature as of July
10,
1989 to be 85.7°F. Commonwealth
Edison further stated
that “fishery surveys conducted in July and
August,
1988, have not detected any substantive change
in
community composition downstream from the Quad Cities Station
discharge.
Cool water species have responded
to avoidance
threshold temperatures and have moved
to portions of
the river
more suited
to their normal thermal preferences.”
The Agency
therefore concurs with
the Petitioner
that the anticipated
environmental impact bf this variance will be minimal.
The
Agency also states that there are no public water supplies which
would be adversely affected nor any federal laws which would
preclude the granting of this variance.
1(11—126
—3—
The Board having received notification from the Agency that
compliance on a short term basis with the thermal discharge
limitations
imposed by 35
Ill.
Adm. Code 302.211 and Part
303
would impose an arbitrary or unreasonable hardship upon
Commonwealth Edison, and the Board concurring
in that
notification will grant Commonwealth Edison’s provisional
variance,
subject to the conditions suggested by the Agency.
This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and
conclusions
of law in this matter.
ORDER
1.
Commonwealth Edison
is hereby granted variance from 35
Ill.
Adm. Code 302.211 and Part
303
for its Quad Cities Power
Station, subject to the following conditions:
a.
This variance shall
begin when Quad Cities Station uses
up their NPDES permit allocation
of 87.6 hours
(July 10,
1989)
for discharge of effluent hotter than the
temperatures allowed in special condition #6,
B of
their
NPDES permit and continue for
45 days
or when Quad
Cities Station uses up the additional
100 hours received
from granting this variance, whichever occurs first.
The hours used during this provisional variance period
shall also be excluded from the 87.6 hours limitation
imposed by their NPDES permit.
b.
During
the variance,
at
no time shall the water
temperature discharged exceed the maximum limits
in
special condition #6,
B of their NPDES permit by more
than 3°F.
c.
During this variance, Commonwealth Edison shall maintain
a continuous temperature and flow recorder for the
cooling blowdown
to the Mississippi River.
Such records
shall be submitted with Commonwealth Edison’s Discharge
Monitoring Reports.
The records submitted should
indicate the daily temperature discharge to the
Mississippi River.
d.
Commonwealth Edison shall mitigate possible adverse
affects
to the river’s fishery and conduct daily
observations
of
fish condition.
e.
Within
10 days of
the date of this Order,
Commonwealth
Edison shall execute and submit
a Certificate of
Acceptance and Agreement shall
be sent
to Mark
T. Books
at the address indicated below:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
2200 Churchill
Road
101—127
—4—
P.
0. Box 19276
Springfield, IL
62794—9276
Attention:
Mark T. Books
This variance shall be void
if Commonwealth Edison fails
to
execute and forward the certificate within ten day period.
The
ten day period shall be held
in abeyance during any period that
this matter
is being appealed.
The form of said Certification
shall be as follows:
CERTIFICATION
I,
(We), ___________________________,
having read the
Order of the Illinois Pollution Control Board,
in PCB 89—115,
dated July
13,
1989, understand and accept the said Order,
realizing that such acceptance renders all terms and conditions
thereto binding and enforceable.
Petitioner
By:
Authorized Agent
Title
Date
Section 41
of the Environmental Protection Act,
Ill. Rev.
Stat.
1987
ch.
ill
1/2 par.
1041,
provides for appeal
of Final
Orders of the Board within 35 days.
The Rules of the Supreme
Court
of Illinois establish filing requirements.
IT
IS SO ORDERED.
101—128
—5—
I,
Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify that the
ove Opinion and Order was
adopted on the
/i~
day of
______________,
1989, by a vote
of
7—c’
.
Ill
S
Control Board
101—129