ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

December 20,

1965

vir.L1\CE

OF

ROMEOVILLE,

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB

85—206

tLLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL

PRO.L’ECTION

AGENCY,

Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER

OF THE BOARD

(by W.J0

Nega):

This provisional variance request comes before

the

Board

upon

a December

18, 1985 Recommendation of the Illinois

Environmental Protection Agency

(Agency).

The Agency recommends

that

a 45—day provisional variance

be granted

to

the Village ot

Pomeoville

(Village)

from 35

Ill.

Adm.

Code 309.102(a)

to allow

temporary bypassing of the Village’s tertiary polishing pond

while sludge

is being cleaned from the lagoon.

The Petitioner

i:~

apparently seeking relief from Section 309.102(a)

(NPDES Permit

Required)

in order

to discharge from a bypass line which

is

presently unpermitted.

(Rec.

1).

The

Village owns and operates two wastewater treatment

Lacilities.

Sludge removal and polishing pond restoration will

occur

at its

south sewage treatment plant which

is designated

Plant

#2.

The Petitioner’s Plant #2, which serves that portion

of

the Village that lies south of 135th street,

includes two

activated sludge plants,

clarifiers,

and

a polishing pond.

Sludge

is first dried

on sludge drying

beds prior

to disposal

after digestion.

Plant #2,

which

has

a design average flow of

1.5 million gallons per day, discharges

into an unnamed ditch

tributary

to the Des Plaines River.

(Rec,

1).

The Petitioner

is authorized

to discharge pursuant

to NPDES

Permit #IL0048526 which requires the Village

to meet

the

following

inter

jut

effluent limitations

for five—day biochemical

oxygen

demand

(BOD),

total suspended solids (TSS)~ and ammonia

nitrogen:

Monthly Average

~eek1y

Average

Daily Maximum

BOD

20 rag/l

45 mg/i

iSs

15

mg/l

45

ii~/1

Minonia Nitrogen*

1.5

April

-

October

4,0

*Ammonia effluent limits must be met when downstream water

quality concentrations do not meet

35

Ill,

Adut,

Code 302,212.

67-139

---

—2-

These limits apply to Outfall 001 only and final limits are 10/12

(Rec.

1).

When the polishing pond

is bypassed, the Petitioner believes

that its effluent will be able to meet interim effluent

limitations.

The Village also claims that its polishing pond

worsens the quality of the effluent discharge.

(Rec.

2).

In

its

petition,

Prior

to Pond

BOO

8.8 mg/l

18.6 mg/i

TSS

5.3 mg/i

31.6 mg/l

11113—N

3.79 mg/l

(Rec.

2).

The Village has requested a provisional variance so that

it

can be allowed to bypass its polishing pond while repairs are

made to the pond,

These necessary repairs include dredging

sludge.from the lagoon

and

repairing previous erosion damage to

the lagoon banks.

The Agency indicates that if the Petitioner

had employed better operational practices, the

pond may not have

the sludge build—up that it currently has.

(Rec.

2).

However,

the Agency believes that it is presently impractical to install a

control system to attain full compliance.

The Agency believes that the environmental impact of the

proposed provisional variance will be minimal because the

effluent quality discharged to the receiving stream is expected

to be of better quality than that discharged from the

Petitioner’s polishing pond.

(Rec.

2).

Additionally, the Agency

feels that there will be no adverse environmental impact on any

downstream water supplies, since the closest water supply is

about 125 miles downstream on the Illinois River (i.e., the

Peoria Water Company supply).

The Agency has concluded that compliance with the provisions

of 35 Ill. Adm.

Code 309.102(a) would impose an arbitrary or

unreasonable hardship on the Village of Romeoville.

(Rec. 1—

3).

The Agency has ascertained that there are nO federal

regulations that would preclude the granting of the requested

relief.

Accordingly, the Agency has recommended that the Board

grant the Petitioner a provisional variance from 35 Ill. Adm.

Code 309.102(a), subject to certain specified conditions.

Pursuant to Section 35(b) of the Illinois Environmental

as recommended.

This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and

conclusions of law

in this matter.

67-140

---

—3—

ORDER

The Village of Romeoville

is hereby granted

a provisional

variance from Ill. Mm.

Code 309.102(a)

to allow temporary

bypassing

of

its tertiary polishing pond while sludge

is being

clearted

from its lagoon,

subject

to

the following conditions:

1.

This provisional variance shall commence when the

polishing pond is removed from service and shall

terminate 45

days later,

or upon completion of repairs

to the pond, whichever

occurs

first.

2.

Upon

termination

of

this

provisional

variance,

the

Petitioner

shall block the pond bypass so that it cannot be

used

until

the Petitioner has received authorization for

its use

through

a

modified

NPDES

Permit.

3.

During

the

term

of

this

provisional

variance,

the

Petitioner’s pond bypass discharge shall meet the interim

effluent limitation for Outfall 001

as stated in NPDE~SPermit

#1L0048526

as

if fully

set forth herein

and which

is hereby

incorporated by reference.

4.

The Petitioner

shall monitor

this discharge

as stated

in

the above referenced NPDES Permit.

5.

The Petitioner

shall

notify by telephone

the Agency’s

Maywood Regional Office when the polishing pond

is removed

from

service and when

it

is returned

to service.

This notification

shall occur within 24 hours

of the above actions.

These

notifications shall

be followed by written notification within

5

days

to the Agency at the address shown below.

6.

Within

10

days of the date of the Board’s Order,

the

Petitioner

shall execute

a Certificate of Acceptance

and

1~greementwhich shall

be sent to Mr. James Frost

of the ~gency at

the following address:

67-141

---

—4--

Mr. James

Frost

Illinois

Environmental

Protection

Agency

Division

of

Water

Pollution

Control

Compliance

Assurance

Section

2200

Churchill

Road

Springfield,

Illinois

62706

This

certification

shall

have

the

following

form:

CERTIF ICATION

I,

(We),

—

having

reac

the

Order

of

the

Illinois Pollution Control Board

in PCB 85—206,

dated December

20,

1985,

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,

hereby certify that the above Opinion and Order was

adopted on the

_______________

day of

___

,

1985 by

a vote

of

.

Dorothy

M.

Gunn,

Clerk

Illinois

Pollution

Control Board

67-142