ILLINOIS

POLLUTION

CONTROL

BOARD

November

3,

1983

MIDWEST SOLVENTS

CO.

Petitioner,

V.

PCB

83~459

ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

)

AGENCY,

)

Respondent.

OPINION AND

ORDER

OF

THE BOARD

(by

N.

J.

Nega):

This provisional variance recuest

comes

before

the

Board

upon

a November

3,

1983 Recommendation

of

the

il:Liriois

Environ-

mental Protection Agency (Agency).

The Agency recommends that

a

45—day provisional variance be

granted to Midwest Solvents

Co. of

Illinois

(Midwest)

to

provide relief

from 35

111,

Adm,

Code

304.120(b)

as

it relates to BOD and

total

suspended solids

effluent limitations during a portion of the time period that

Petitioner~swastewater treatmenc

facilities

(WWTP) are

under-

going construction

to

allow

the expansion of

the existing waste—

water treatment lagoons.

Midwest

owns and operates a distillery

plant

in

Pekin,

Illinois which

was purchased from the

American

Distilling

Company

in June,

1980.

The Petitioners distillery produces alcohol

for

beverage

and

nonbeverage

uses and

includes

a feed mill and bottling

operation.

(Rec.

1).

Midwest~s

WWTP,

which was

constructed

and

put

into

operation

in 1971,

includes

an

extended aeration

activated

sludge

process

followed by

chiorination~

There are

3

activated

sludge

units

having a 244,000 gallon capacity

with a liquid depth

of

about 10

feet.

Additionally,

the

3 rectangular secondary clarifiers,

which each measure approximately 45~~ lO~have a side wail

depth of

10 feet apiece.

Flow

from

the

aeration

basins

first

enters separate clarifiers

and then the

flow

from each clarifier

is

combined

for chlorination and

subsequently

discharged to the

Illinois River pursuant to NPDES

Permit

No.

1L0002909,

The Petitioner~sWWTP generates various wastewater streams

which are treated at Midwest~sWWTP before discharge

into

the Illinois

River via Outfall

001,

The discharge from Outfall 001, which

includes process wastewater from the feed mill,

process ~‘washdown~

wastes,

sanitary wastewater,

and wastewater from demineralizer

regeneration,

is the subject of the present provisional

variance

54-303

---

-2—

request.

Additionally,

cooling

water

(from

both

contact

and

noncontact sources) is discharged untreated into the Illinois

River via Outfalls 002, 003, and 004.

(Rec.

2).

On

June

13, 1979, the Petitioner

was

issued NPDES Permit

No. 11002909 which authorized discharges

from

Outfalls 001,

002,

003,

and 004.

This NPDES Permit became effective on July 13,

1979, was subsequently modified on August 11,

1980, and then

expired on October 31,

1983.

On May

4,

1983, the Agency received

the Petitioner’s application

which

requested

that

the

NPDES

Permit

be reissued.

(Rec.

2).

The Petitioner’s NPDES

Permit

establishes effluent limitations

for Outfall 001 pertaining to BOD

and

total suspended solids.

The

30—day average concentration limit for

BOD

is 20 mg/i, while the

daily maximum concentration level for BOO is set at 50 mg/i.

Similarly,

the 30—day average concentration limit for total

sus-

pended

solids

(TSS)

is 25 mg/i, while the daily maximum concentra-

tion level

for TSS is 62 mg/i.

The

Agency

has noted that

discharge monitoring reports submitted by Midwest indicate

that Petitioner’s discharge from Outfall 001 has been in com-

pliance with the previously mentioned BOD and TSS limitations

for

the

past

year.

(Rec.

2—3).

Because of an anticipated increase in distillery production

which is expected to occur within the next few years

(and is

expected

to

double

the

plant

production

capacity),

Midwest

has

decided

to

expand

its

present

wastewater

treatment

plant.

(See:

Exhibit

A).

It

is

contemplated

that

the

existing

WWTP

will

be

initially

expanded

to handle a flow rate of 0.5 million

gallons

per

day (MGD)

and

5,000

pounds

per

day

of

BOD.

Based on its

experiences in its Atchison, Kansas plant, the company has esti-

mated that future expansion could increase the capacity of the

MW?? to an ultimate design capacity of a 0.7 MGD flow rate and

8,000 pounds per day of BOD.

The first step in the overall expansion plan is to expand

the existing earthen aeration basins from the present total

capacity of 0.72 MG (i.e., the 3 basins each have an effective

volume of approximately 0.24 MG;

thus

3 x 0.24 MG

=

0.72 MG) to

an effective

volume

capacity

of 1.5 MG.

The company has considered various possible options for

increasing aeration volume which include:

(1) building new

concrete basins on the existing basin site at a cost in excess

of $1,000,000.00;

(2) building extra basins on the existing

sludge lagoon site at a cost of over $1,000,000.00;

(3) modify-

ing

the

existing

basins

by

making

the

berns

higher at a cost

between

$300,000.00

and

$400,000.00;

and

(4)

modifying

the

existing basins by making the basins deeper at a cost between

$300,000.00

and

$400,000.00.

According to Scheible and

54-304

---

3—

ing c rsultarts

it was origirally planned to make the 3 existing

lagoons into 2 larger lagoons by raising the height of the

berms.

However,

because of #ochinical engineering concerns over the

stability of tie

berms

if t.iey are made higher, the engineering

consultants have recomrended makirg the lagoons deeper, instead

of making the berets higher.

Ir crder

to

expird the aeratiot

ast1s

1y waking the basins

4 feet deeper

the Petitioner plans to

(1) make a large lagoon

with a vo uwe of 1.07 MG and a small lagoor

with a volume

of

o

•

45 MG by

basins $2 and $3 (thereby making

3 basins

ito 2 basins),

(3) excavate the sides and bottoirs of

both

lagoons while main-

taining

ti’e

flat

bottom

area;

(3) in~reaeethe aeration capacity

and

provide an automatic dissolved

oxy

jen monitoring s stem;

and (4) nodify tie control

and moni

tortra

vst.ens

the electrical

feed lines, an

tte influent, effluent

and

sludge recycle piping.

(See:

Exhibit A)

1!

a a ol...t U

expansicn

P dwc.st p

n& to take aera-

tion b stn 41 o’t

f service first by

pump

nj its contents into

aeration ba”int

$2

ard $3.

All

procea.-

t~.

eea-er w~ll~e

discha gcd

into

tarati

‘s

basIns $2 and 43 atil construction

work

-

corpletec

o’s aeration basit $1.

kite

const~ctiarwork or aeraton

bastn

$1 is completed,

aeration basi’r $2 and $3 will then dir. arge their contents

into

aera’ior basir

1

All pro ess sa.

awater wLll

then be

discharge

in o ur~tionban

$1

an

ccrotricti

ccmple e

~ra ioi l-asr~s4

at

$3

te first

CIte)

of tus

ti)

fl~)

e~Ø

er

‘t

o

co aau’tion

work

ta

expe ted

ore a naxtmun

t

s:

~

)u

it

tais

first

steo

‘r ~onrructjon

ore

f

t

3

v3 t no

.330 055

will

beou~cfse.rvic~wichwibrcd

et

‘Vt

~-r

ctTett

capac.6ty

by

sppro~ci.ia’ely 33.

lie secord ~ e, o~the con~.-ucti

.

o o ~-a

i.e

toe ted to

takeaaaxnumnof~

eeics,too,

trio

t’

e’

tsagaof

constriction w

i~ the

expanced

no

..

OOoi

$1

iill be

placed

it

oe

ice ant

tit

tso

ot er

a

bc o’t

f

service

for

ex)ansior,

which

cu

e.fect a r

u.flioi of the

original ‘r~~t~ent

~aoa i’y b

a oo

C

~•

Fxhibit A,

Figura3 3

1~

Thu° the L

il cor

uctio

w

k

the aeration basin

expansfor a

expected to be

ca p flel

r

e s t1~an8

reeks

so

as

to

avoi.

ta

aagit of

sit

n

a

teatiter.

During

this

construction

period,

effective

treatmert

capacity

is

expected

to

be

reduced

by

33

to

38

54305

---

To offset the

loss

of hydraulic capacity during the construc~

tion period,

the

Petitioner plans to ~try to

increase in mixed

liquor suspended solids”~

(See:

Exhibit A)~ However, during

this construction period,

Midwest estimates that BOD will average

approximately 50 mg/i with a daily maximum concentration of 100 mg/i

and TSS will also increase in the same proportion as

BOLD,

(Rec, 4)~

The Agency has concurred with the Petitioner that there

is no other reasonable option for expanding the WWTP other than

the proposal that Midwest has delineated,

(Rec,

4),

Additionally, the Agency has concluded that the environ-

mental impact on the Illinois River during the short period that

the WWTF is undergoing expansion will be minimal,

(Rec,

4),

Accordingly, the Agency has concluded that compliance on a

short-term basis with the provisions of

35 IlL Adm~Code 304,120(b)

would impose an arbitrary or unreasonable hardship.

Therefore, the

Agency recommends that the Board grant Midwest a provisional

variance from Section 304,120(b) for a period of 45 days,

subject

to certain conditions,

Pursuant to Section 35(b)

of the Illinois Environmental

Protection Act, the Board hereby grants the provisional variance

as recommended,

Midwest Solvents Co. of Illinois is hereby granted a pro-

visional variance from 35

Ill,

Adm, Code 304,120(b),

subject

to the following conditions:

1.

This provisional variance shall terminate 45 days after

the Petitioner begins construction by removing any of the three

aeration basins from service, but

in no event shall go beyond

December 31, 1983~

2.

During the term of this provisional variance, the Peti—

tioner~seffluent shall comply with the following concentration

limitations:

Parameter

Maximum

BOLD

50 mg/I

100 mg/I

Total Suspended Solids

50 mg/I

100 mg/I

3,

During the term of this provisional variance, the Peti~

tioner shall continue to monitor and report its effluent accord~

ing

to the conditions set forth in its NPDES permit No, IL0002909~

4~

The Petitioner shall notify Robert E~Broms, P,E~,

Manager, Compliance Assurance Section, Division of Water Pollution

Control at 217/782~-9720:

54~306

---

a.

when the first basin is taken out of service;

b.

when each of the other basins is subsequently

taken out of service;

and

c.

when the WWTF is put back into operation.

5,

The Petitioner shall obtain the necessary Agency permits

prior to beginning construction,

6,

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

Petitioner shall execute a Certificate of Acceptance and Agree-

ment which

shall be sent to:

Robert

E. Broms,

P,E,, Manager

Compliance Assuance Section

Division of Water Pollution Control

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

2200 Churchill Road

Springfield, Ilinois

62706

This certification shall have the following form:

I,

(We) ______________________ _____________________

___________

having read the Order of the Illinois Pollution Control Board in

PCB 83~159dated November

3,

1983, understand and accept said

Order,

realizing that such acceptance renders all terms and con-

ditions thereto binding and enforceable,

Petitioner

By:

Authorized Agent

Title

Date

IT

IS SO ORDERED.

54~307

---

—6—

Chairman Dumelle concurs.

Board Member 3. Anderson dissents.

I,

Christan L.

Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution

pinion and Order

Control Board, hereb~ff~tifythat~h~eabov

0. 1983 by a vote

was adop ed on the_______

____________________

0

linois Pollution

rol Board

54~308