ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

August 4, 1988

IN THE MATTER OF:

JOINT PETITION OF THE CITY OF OTTAWA

AND THE ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL

)

PROTECTION AGENCY FOR EXCEPTION TO

)

PCB 88-52

THE COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOW (CSO)

REGULATIONS.

CONCURRING OPINION (by

3.

Theodore Meyer):

I concur in the result reached by the majority, because the

control alternative accepted by the Board will make some

improvements to Ottawa’s sewer system. Uowever, I must point out

that although Ottawa committed to spending $5.74 million on its

chosen alternative, the city may only have to pay about $1.73

million of that cost. The other $4.01 million may well come from

a state grant program which provides up to 70 percent of the

necessary funding for federally required sewer projects. I

recognize that this state grant program is beneficial to local

units of government and to taxpayers. I note, however, that the

compliance alternative chosen by Ottawa and accepted by the Board

will only deal with the worst overflow problems, and will

alleviate only “the most critical” areas of basement flooding.

(Majority opinion, p. 12.) My point is that the $4.01 million

which Ottawa has been relieved from financing could well be used

to further upgrade the sewer system and eliminate all basement

flooding.

J~rfTheodoreMeter

Bô~rd Member

I, Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control

Board, hereby certify that the above C~ncurringOpinion was

submitted on the

S’~-~~-~

day of

_____________________,

1988.

i?),/•~L

~-‘~‘

Dorothy M./~unn, Clerk

Illinois Pb’llution Control Board

91—149