ILl I NO IS POLLUTION CONTROL 30A RD

December 15, 1983

CtTY OF WOOD RIVER,

Petitioner,

v.

POD 83—232

ELLINOIS ENVIR0NMEN’rAL

PROTECTION AGINCY,

Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD (by W. J. Neqa):

This provisional variance request comes before the Board

upon a December 15, 1983 Recommendation of the Illinois

Environmental Protection Agency (Agency). The Agency recommends

that a 3—hour provisional variance he granted to the City of Wood

River (Wood River) from 35 Ill. Adm. Code 306. 305 to allow by-

passing of all flows directly into the Mississippi River from its

wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) so that Illinois Power Company

can install an automatic transfer switch at the Petitioner’s

facility. Wood T~iver previously was granted a 5—day pxuvisional

variance by the Board on July 26, 1983 in PCB 83—98 to allow the

sluice qates in the qatewell structure of a 24—inch effluent pipe

t~

be replaced.

~s indicated in PCB 83—98, the city is currently participa-

ting in the Construction Grants Program to upgrade and enlarge its

~astewater treatment facilities. Because “the wiring of the

transfer switch is one of the final items necessary for the

completion of the Phase I contract”, the Petitioner’s engineering

consultants have stated that:

“The facility is presently under Phase I construction,

part of which involves adding a second power source to

the main pump station to provide power should the main

supply be interrupted. This is accomplished by an

automatic transfer switch. This switch is supplied with

independent power sources provided by Illinois Power.

The power company has indicated that the work required

to wire the two sources will take three hours during

which time all power Lu the main pumps will he termi-

nated for safety reasons. Since the storage capacity

of the wet well and 84” supply sewer is approximately

one hour at average flow (1 MGD), some bypassing would

occur.” (See: Attachment A: Letter to Agency dated

December 9, 1983 from Sheppard, Morgan & Schwaab,

Inc

.

55-267

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—2—

To provide the Petitioner with an alternate power source, it

is anticipated that work on the installation of the automatic

trans~er switch will he done on Friday, December 16, 1983 and

take approximately 3 hours to complete. Because Wood River’s wet

well and the interceptor sewer have about a 1 hour holding

capacity, it is estimated that bypassing could occur for 2 hours.

(Rec. 4).

During this 2-hour period of bypassing, it is expected that

ui~treaLeci wasLewaLer will, be dtscnarqei into the i’iississippi

River at levels similar to the influent concentrations reported

on the city’s recent discharge monitoring reports. (Rec. 3).

Using the average maximum BOD concentration of 251 mg/i and

average total suspended solids (TSS) concentration of 81 mg/i and

an average flow of 0.93 MGD, the Agency has calculated that 177

pounds of BOD and 57.5 pounds of TSS nay be discharged during

this 2—hour period. (Rec. 3).

The Agency has noted that “the oniy alternative to the

requested bypass would be to install a portable pump at the lift

station, lay about 0.75 miles of tc~mporarypipe on the ground and

pump from the wet well to the plant”. (Rec. 4). Because of the

distance involved, the blocking of several driveways, and the

expense of such an alternate project, the Agency has stated that

this alternative “is considered infe~tsihle”, (Rec. 4).

The Agency has indicated that, although bypassing will

probably occur at a time when the Mississippi River is at a

relatively low level, there is no reasonable alternative to

bypassing and denial of the provisional variance would merely

serve to

contrihute additional expenses and unnecessary delay to

the construction of a needed improvement. (Rec. 4).

The Agency has concluded that compliance on a short—term

basis with the provisions of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 306.305 would

impose an arbitrary or unreasonable hardship. Therefore, the

Agency recommends that the Board grant the City of Wood River a

provisional variance from Section 306.305, subject to certain

conditions.

Pursuant to Section 35(h) of the Illinois Environmental

Protection Act, the Board hereby grants the provisional variance

as recommended.

ORDER

The City of Wood River is hereby granted a provisional

variance from 35 Ill. Adm. Code 306.305 for a 3—hour period to

allow bypassing ot all flows directly into the Mississippi River

from its wastewater treatment plant so that the Illinois Power

Company can install an automatic transfer switch at the Peti-

tioner’s facility, subject to the following conditions:

55-268

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—3—

1. Wood River shall notify Robert E. Broms, P.E., Manager,

Compliance Assurance Section, Division of Water Pollution Control

at 217/782—9720, of the following:

a.) On the

day

on which the work on the automatic

transfer switch is to begin, the

time

at which the work

will begin.

b.)

After the work is completed, the City will again

notify

the Agency that it has been

completed.

2. Wood River shalt take one grab sample of any bypassed

flows and

analyze that sample for Biochemical Oxygen Demand

(BOD)

and

Total Suspended Solids (TSS).

3.

Wood

River shall report in writing within seven (7)

days after completion of the work on the automatic transfer

switch on the date and

time

of bypassing and the results of

the laboratory analyses. The report shall be submitted to:

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Division of

Water Pollution Control, Compliance Assurance Section,

2200 Churchill Road, Springfield, Illinois 62706

4.

Within 10 days of the date of the Board’s Order, Wood

River shall execute a Certificate of Acceptance and Agreement

which shall

be sent to: Illinois Environmental Protection

Agency, Division of Water Pollution Control, Compliance Assurance

Section, 2200 Churchill Road, Springfield, Illinois 62706. This

CERTIFICATION

I,

(We)

having read the Order of the Illinois Pollution Control Board in

PCB

83—232 dated December 15, 1983, understand and accept said

Order, realizing that such acceptance renders all terms

and

conditions thereto binding

and

Petitioner

ijT

Title

55-269

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—4—

Chairman Dumelle concurred.

IT IS SO

ORDERED.

I, Christa’n L. Moffett, Clerk or the Illinois Pollution

Control Board, hereby certify that the above Opinion and Order

a .~ ~,

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vote of

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Christan L, Moffett1’~frerk

Illinois Pollution ~oYitrol Board

55-270