ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
April 27, 1989
CITY OF GRANITE CITY,
)
(MADISON COUNTY)
)
Petitioner,
v.
)
PCB 89—75
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 April 25, 1989 recommending that the Board grant a 45—day
provisional variance to Granite City. Granite City requests this
variance from 35 Ill. Adm. Code 304.141 to allow time to do
necessary repairs and improvements on the final clarifiers at its
wastewater treatment plant. Granite City Regional Wastewater
Treatment Plant consists of an activated sludge system designed
to treat 23 MGD. Effluent is discharged to Chain of Rock Barge
Canal, which is a side channel of the Mississippi River.
Granite City states in its application for provisional
variance that “the plant has experienced unreliable performance
from the bridge—type sludge removal mechanisms serving the 4
clarifiers”. (Variance Request at 1). Granite City plans to
“remove the 2 existing travelling bridges, repair structural and
mechanical damage to the clarifiers, and replace the 2 travelling
bridges with 4 lighter, more dependable and flexible bridges”.
(Variance Request at 2).
Granite City further states that “the travelling bridges
have caused significant structural and mechanical damage to the
final clarification system”. (Variance Request at 1). Granite
City has presented a plan to correct the present situation and
hopefully avoid it from happening again. According to the
Agency, the alternative, to do nothing, will result in more
damage to the clarifiers, longer repair time and a more degraded
effluent quality. The Agency believes that Granite City has
chosen the best alternative for correcting the problem.
The Agency states that it agrees with Granite City that
since about half of the discharge will receive secondary
treatment and the remaining half will receive primary treatment
98—309
—2—
that the environmental impact on the Mississippi River will be
minimal. Further, the Agency agrees with Granite City that
denial of this provisional variance petition would create an
arbitrary and unreasonable hardship upon Granite City, as failure
to quickly correct this problem will result in additional damage
to its treatment facility.
The Agency states that there are no federal regulations
which would preclude the granting of this variance, and that the
Agency is not aware of any public water supplies which would be
adversely affected by granting this provisional variance.
The Board having received notification from the Agency that
compliance on a short term basis with the effluent limitations
imposed by 35 Ill. Adm. Code 304.141 would impose an arbitrary or
unreasonable hardship upon Granite City, and the Board concurring
in that notification, will grant Granite City’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. Granite City is hereby granted provisional variance from 35
Ill. Adm. Code 304.141, subject to the following conditions:
a. Variance shall commence when #1 and #2 final clarifiers
are taken out of operation and continue for a period of
45 days or until the clarifiers are put back into use,
whichever occurs first.
b. Granite City shall notify Nick Mahlandt of the Agency’s
Collinsville Regional Office via telephone at 618/997—
4392 when they begin draining #1 and #2 final clarifiers
and when the repair work is completed. Written
confirmation of each notification shall be sent within 5
days to the following address:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Division of Water Pollution Control
2200 Churchill Road, P.O. Box 19276
Springfield, IL 62794—9276
Attention: Barb Conner
c. Granite City’s effluent during this variance shall be
limited to the requested limits, as follows:
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Monthly Average Limits
NPDES Permit
Requested Variance
BOD5 mg/i
20
75
TSS xng/l
25
60
Total Iron mg/i
2.0
4.0
Total Cyanide mg/i
0.1
0.2
Mercury mg/I
0.0005
0.001
Fecal Coliform
¼400/l00 ml
N/A*
*Granite City will chlorinate the
¼
6 MGG receiving secondary
treatment to a level within the 400/100 ml limit.
d. Granite City shall monitor the effluent from its
treatment plant for the parameters as listed in NPDES
permit #1L0033481.
e. During this provisional variance, Granite City shall
operate its wastewater treatment facility so as to
produce the best effluent practicable. Additionally,
Granite City shall perform the necessary replacement
work at the plant as expeditiously as possible so as to
minimize the period of time that the portion of the
plant is out of service.
2. Within 10 days of the date of this Order, Petitioner shall
execute and submit a Certificate of Acceptance and Agreement
which shall be sent to Barb Conner at the address indicated
above.
This variance shall be void if Petitioner fails to execute
and forward the certificate within forty—five day period. The
forty—five 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), The Ci~tyof Granite City, having read the Order of
the Illinois Pollution Control Board, in PCB 89—75, dated April
27, 1989, understand and accept the said Order, realizing that
such acceptance renders all terms and conditions thereto binding
and enforceable.
98-311
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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.
I, Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certif that the above Opinion and Order was
adopted on the ,~7~i?~dayof
______________,
1989, by a vote
of
7—c .
Ill
on Control Board
98—3 12