ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
    August 18, 1988
    COMMONWEALTH EDISON
    )
    QUAD CITIES POWER STATION,
    )
    Petitioner,
    v.
    )
    PCB 88—129
    ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL
    PROTECTION AGENCY,
    Respondent.
    ORDER OF THE BOARD (by J.D. Dumelle):
    This matter comes before the Board upon receipt of an August
    18, 1988, Agency Recommendation concerning Petitioner,
    Commonwealth Edison Quad Cities Power Station’s request for
    provisional variance from the limitations set forth at 35 Ill.
    Adm. Code 302.211 and Part 303.
    On August 17, 1988, Petitioner filed a request for
    provisional variance with the Illinois Environmental Protection
    Agency (Agency) seeking temporary relief from this Board’s water
    temperature standards.
    Petitioner’s NPDES permit sets water temperature limits at
    Petitioner’s facility and prohibits Petitioner from exceeding
    these more than 1 of the time in any 12—month period.
    Additionally, at no time shall the water temperature exceed
    maximum temperatures by more than 3°F. Special condition No. 6,
    B NPDES Permit No. IL0002224.
    Petitioner avers that the severe drought and extremely hot
    weather, low river flows, elevated ambient river temperatures,
    and decreased heat dissipation have imposed severe operating
    restrictions on the generating station. Owing to the weather
    Petitioner predicts that it will exhaust the 1 limit for maximum
    exceedances (of the 3°F condition) during mid—August of 1988. In
    support of this Petitioner has stated the following:
    “Typically, ambient water temperatures in pool
    No. 14 do not exceed 800 during the summer
    months. However, the unusually hot and dry
    weather we have experienced has caused ambient
    water temperatures to rise above 800
    throughout much of the summer. Ambient water
    temperatures exceeding 84.2°F have occurred
    91—387
    —2—
    regularly for short periods throughout July
    and August.”
    Recent data submitted by Petitioner indicates a river
    temperature of 86.5°Fon August 17, 1988.
    Notwithstanding this, the increase has occurred gradually
    and Petitioner claims that resulting environmental impact will be
    minimal. The Agency concurs in this judgement.
    In its Agency Recommendation the IEPA urges this Board to
    grant the requested provisional variance stating that failure to
    do so would impose an arbitrary and unreasonable hardship on
    Petitioner.
    The Board agrees; Petitioner is granted provisional variance
    from 35 Ill. Adm. Code 302.211 and Part 303 subject to the
    following conditions:
    a. This variance shall begin when Quad Cities station uses
    up their NPDES permit allocated 87.6 hours for discharge
    of effluent hotter than the temperatures allowed in
    special conditions No. 6, B of their NPDES permit and
    continue for 45 days or when Quad Cities Station uses up
    the additional 175 hours received from granting this
    variance, whichever occurs first.
    b. During the variance at no time shall the water
    temperature discharged exceed the maximum limits in
    special condition No. 6, B of their NPDES permit by more
    than 3°F.
    C.
    During this variance, the Petitioner shall maintain a
    continuous temperature and flow recorder for the cooling
    blowdown to the Mississippi River. Such records shall
    be submitted with Petitioner’s Discharge Monitoring
    Reports. The records submitted should indi~cate t~re
    daily temperature discharge to the Mississippi River.
    d. The Petitioner shall mitigate possible adverse effects
    to the river’s fishery and conduct daily observations of
    fish condition.
    e. Within 10 days of the date of the Board’s Order,
    Petitioner shall execute a Certificate of Acceptance and
    Agreement which shall be sent to Mark T. Books at the
    address indicated below:
    91—388
    —3—
    Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
    2200 Churchill Road
    P.O. Box 19276
    Springfield, Illinois 62794—9276
    ATTN: Mark T. Books
    This variance shall be void if Petitioner fails to
    execute and forward the certificate within the 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:
    CERTI FICATION
    I, (We), Commonwealth Edison Quad Cities Power Station,
    having read the Order of the Illinois Pollution Control Board, in
    PCB 88—129, dated August 18, 1988, 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
    IT IS SO ORDERED.
    I, Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
    Board, her b certify that the above Order was adopted on
    the
    ______________
    day of ~~ç-~~çp
    ,
    1988 by a vote
    of
    _______________.
    d
    -~
    Dorothy M. unn, Clerk
    Illinois Pollution Control Board
    9 1—3 89

    Back to top