ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

August

18,

1983

METROPOLITAN SANITARY DISTRICT

)

OF GREATER CHICAGO,

)

Petitioner,

v

)

PCB 83—110

ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

)

AGENCY,

Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

(by W.J. Nega):

This provisional variance request comes before the Board upon

an August 17,

1983 Recommendation of the Illinois Environmental

Protection Agency (Agency).

The Agency recommends that a 45—day

provisional variance be granted to the Metropolitan Sanitary

District of Greater Chicago

(MSDGC) to allow it to bypass raw and

primary treated wastewater during construction at its Calumet

sewage treatment plant

(STP).

The MSDGC owns and operates 7 wastewater treatment plants

that serve about 5.4 million people in the City of Chicago and

nearby communities.

The

Calumet STP, which serves approximately

1,082,000 people and various industries,

is an activated sludge

wastewater treatment plant which provides chlorination prior to

its discharge to the Little Calumet River.

(Rec,

1).

The Petitioner

is in the process of constructing additional

secondary treatment facilities under MSDGC Contract No.

77—284—21?

pursuant to Agency Permit No.

1981-AB-1927.

At the Calumet STP,

there are multiple contracts

(requiring an Agency construction

permit for each contract) pertaining to expansions and improvements

of preliminary treatment,

first stage secondary treatment,

second

stage treatment (nitrification), and other miscellaneous related

facilities.

(Rec.

2).

It is anticipated that, upon completion

of the requisite expansions and improvements, an additional flow

of 134 million gallons per day will be treated.

(Rec.

2).

The construction work in progress, which

is expected to be

completed by March of 1986,

includes the cleaning of lagoons

10

and 11, constructin of 10 aeration tanks and 20 final

settling

tanks, operating gallery, tunnel and miscellaneous chambers,

chlorination facilities,

effluent conduits, and other similar

improvements.

(Rec.

2),

53-259

---

T

is recessa

f

r

i.~

G

tc

b a~

cess in the

cAl cA

d it

0

0

a

n

I tr~

o

pxoess

i.e Pe~Aionet iua

t

‘t.l

A

o

-

r

Ic

khe~’d

a

1

r

‘~

~

c

—~

F

1-

-rerouted so that c?’o dar

t

c

t

t

‘a

~

r

~ded

orce the

tonporary bulkhead is

orstu~ted),

bun

rc’ tr~intexial of

that the bulklead i~beirg

ons ructed

and

e

rt

-

cii.

derolisted,

the

~f

uo t

fruit

3

0 ater

I

deqaAring will result

in a

~

of

ir

~°ntwastewater

n:o

the activated

‘ludae

portion of the Petit

v~-’atreatment syster

(Rec

2).

To handle these c ntingeo-ies,

tie Mo)Gt

i-i proposing ~o

provice nr~ma.ytreatment to het~een40 and

80 million gallons

)

wastewater per day before di0charoing to tie Little Calumet

River,

Additionilly, tie MSDGC plans

to store the wastewater

ii

interceptors for aa

lo

a~. P0

at Ic btf xc by asaing to tIe

Little ~alumet Ri er

8 ~

a

~

~ u~-retel

rastewater will

occur

ever

vitn the’e ~ o~oa° i

n es

b~tngt ken

because

flows to

the Calumet ‘UP averaj1 ab

2~mx

lion gallons per

day.

The insta lattot and tie derroli’Yoi o1 Ac ouikhead are

each es,imated

by

t c M DCC t

to c from 12 to

hours to

accomo ish and ~hc res ltirg

a ~

q~ll iccu

duriig these t’o

time periods.

(Rec

),

The MSDGC has

sset~

t

during the ocr od of the bypasses,

it will maintain the maximum amount of treatment possible under

the circumstances

in order to minimize any potentially adverse

environmental impact.

The MSDGC alleges that there are no other

economically feasible altern

vec

at.c

hon

~r

by ass during

~ r

tb

~r

I

i

h tdwn

vi

1

be done when there is

r

ma

f

w

t

he plait and no forseeable

rainfall.

Since the MSDG’

s

p ovidino p mary treatment to as

much fI

v

as poss b

~,

t

i

a

lAw

tAr,

the interceptors, and

doing

its cot

tr ctior

work in

ax ly at

a

t and during low

flow periods,

the PeAr

roner feel0 that it

rs Ark ng all reasonable

steps

necessary

to

protect

tie

°n iroimert

(

cc

3)

In its Reconmen an

r

A

v ha~ crctr’ed with the

Petitioner

that no othe’ econoncal At,rratiqes exist to avoid

bypassing

durirg

the

tw

dal-~

th-t the MSDCC is constructing and

demolishing

the

bu

kh

ad

(1e’

3

The

Agency

A-°

ot.

luded

tArt

cccrplia~ce

or

short-term

basis

w~rh tne

p

on

A

Cr.

iou.

V w

i’d

iirpose

an

arbitra

y

or

nreaso

~

h

a

1herefore

the

Agency

recorrmencc

t

.e

I

ir

nt

tie

I

a&

a

piovisional

variance

from

Seen

n

~

3

a

-

pen

d

f

45

days

beginning

August

18,

1983,

stbject

to

certai

cordi’ia

‘.

Pursuant

to

Section

35(b)

of

the

Illinois

Lnvironmental

Protection

Act

the

Board

lereby

grants

the

orovisional

variance

as

recommended

53~26O

---

“3,.,

The Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago is

hereby granted a provisional variance from 35 Ill,

Adm. Code

303,305

for a period of 45 days beginning August 18,

1983,

subject to the-

following conditions:

1.

That bypassing occur no more than

2 times during the 45 day

variance period and that each bypass occurrence

lasts no more

than 24 hours.

2.

That the construction and demolition of the bulkhead begin

no

earlier than 10:00 p.m. and that the work is accomplished in

the

shortest period of time possible.

3,

That the construction and demolition of the bulkhead not

occur during or immediately following wet weather.

4,

That the maximum amount of flow possible be given primary

treatment before any bypassing of untreated wastewater occurs.

5.

That the influent interceptors be utilized to their maximum

for storage

before any bypassing

of untreated wastewater

occurs.

6.

That Petitioner

notify Robert

E.

Broms,

P.E.,

Manager,

Compliance

Assurance Section, Divison of Water Pollution

Control

at 217/782”9720:

a.

when construction of the bulkhead begins;

b.

when construction of the bulkhead

is completed and

bypassing ceases;

c.

when demolition of the bulkhead begins;

d.

when demolition of the bulkhead is completed

and bypassing ceases;

e.

as to the quantity of wastewater receiving primary

treatment and the quantity bypassed untreated during

each shutdown,

7.

Within 10 days of the date of the Board~sOrder, the

Petitioner 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 shall have the following form:

53~261

---

—4—

CERTIFICATION

I,

(We)

having read the

Order of the Illinois Pollution Control Board in

PCB

83-110

dated

August

18,

1983,

understand

and accept said

Order,

realizing

that

such

acceptance renders all terms

and

conditions

thereto

binding

and

By:

Authorized

AgerLt

Title

Date

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Chairman Dumelle concurred.

I, Christan L~Moffett,

Clerk of the Illinois Pollution

Control Board,

hereby qer~fy

that

the abov

Opinio

was adopted on the ~~4~~day

of

1983 by a vote of ~

0’

Illinois Pollution