ILLINOIS
POLLUTION
CONTROL
BOARD
October
27,
1982
CITY
OF
cENTRALIA,
)
)
Petitioner,
)
v.
)
PCB
82—98
)
ILLINOIS ENVIRONME~NTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY,
)
)
Respondent.
OPINION
AND
ORDER
OF
THE BOARD
(by D. Anderson):
This
matter
comes
before
the
Board
upon
a
petition
for
variance filed August 12, 1982 by the City of Centralia
requesting for its wastewater treatment
plant
a
variance
from
certain
effluent
and
water
quality
standards
of
35
Ill. Adm.
Code:
Subtitle
C:
Water Pollution.
On September 16 the
Illinois
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(Agency)
recommended
that
the
variance
be
granted
with
conditions.
No
hearing
was
held
and
the
Board
has
received
no
public
comment.
Centralia
operates
a
wastewater
treatment
plant
serving
16,000
persons
and
some
industry.
It
has
a
design
average
flow
of
3.0
million
gallons
per
day
(MGD).
It
discharges
pursuant to NPDES permit IL 0027979 to Sewer Creek,
a tributary
of Grand
Point
Creek,
Crooked
Creek
and
the Kaskaskia River.
This permit has continued in force beyond its expiration date
because of a timely reapplication.
The plant was upgraded under the federal construction
grants program in 1977 and 1980.
The current plant includes
grit removal, grease removal, an activated sludge unit, clarifi-
cation, chemical addition, filtration and disinfection.
About three weeks after initial startup in May, 1980, the
underdrains in one of three tertiary sand filters failed.
During ba.ckwashing filter media lodged in nozzle caps.
This
caused a pressure buildup which led to uplifting of a concrete
slab in the filter cell.
After this failure, the other two
filters were removed from service.
Since the plant had no
provision for bypassing the filters to the chlorinator, it was
also taken out of service.
The plant is thus bypassing an
an unchlorinated, secondary effluent.
Centralia commissioned a study which determined that the
failure was caused by a design error.
It
has
initiated
an
action against Zurn Industries,
Inc., the designer and manufac-
turer of the defective units,
and others.
Centralia has
49-235
—2--
indicated that it does not wish to repair the sand filters
pending completion of litigation in order to preserve evidence.
Repairs would cost about $60,000, of which Centralia has spent
$10,000.
Centralia has also concluded that the original design of
the sand filters was not compatible with its proposed, upgraded
plant.
Centralia prefers to upgrade the sand filters at a cost
of $300,000 to $350,000.
The Agency agrees with this.
The NPDES permit expired July 31,
1981 and has not been
reissued.
The Agency indicates that Centralia will be required
to meet effluent limitations of 10/12 5-day biochemical oxygen
demand/total suspended solids
(BOD/TSS).
The following is a swnmary of regulations involved:
35 Ill.
Adm. Code
Chapter 3
Summary
302.209
203(g)
Fecal coliform water quality
standard of 200 counts/lOO ml
304.120
404(c)
Effluent standard of 10/12 mg/i
BOD/TSS
304.121
405
Fecal coliform effluent standard
of 400 counts/100 ml
The plant is currently operating at a level of about 30/30
mg/l BOD/TSS.
Fecal coliform levels are estimated at 454,000/
100 ml.
Daily flow is around 1.73 MGD.
Recent Agency inspections of Sewer Creek indicated
polluted conditions downstream of the discharge.
The water
was turbid with a strong sewage odor.
Black sludge deposits
were present about 200 yards downstream of the discharge.
In 1978,
the Agency found violations of water quality standards
for iron, ammonia nitrogen and dissolved oxygen,
as well as
fecal coliform.
Sediments contained increased levels of
chlorinated pesticides and organics, and lead.
It is not
clear whether these later conditions still obtain.
Besides the non-use of the sand filters, the stream
degradation may be caused in part by occasional by—passes
due to excessive infiltration and inflow and pump failures.
Centralia is in the process of upgrading to reduce infiltra-
tion and inflow,
and is “negotiating” the rehabilitation of
the lift station which causes overflows.
The Board rejects Centralia’s claims of hardship arising
from possible destruction of evidence through repair of the
sand filters.
As operator, Centralia’s primary responsibility
49-236
—3—
is to meet the effluent standards and avoid pollution of the
waters of the Stats.
In addition, the Board notes that no
Streeter—Pheips computation was performed.
The Board accepts as arbitrary or unreasonable hardship
the impossibility of immediate compliance without repair of the
sand filters.
Considering that Centralia has offered to under-
take improvements to the system which will result in better
environmental results, the Board will grant a variance beyond
the time required to merely repair the filters.
The variance will be granted with conditions similar to
those recommended by the Agency.
It is the Board’s intention
that the Agency issue an NPDES permit and a construction
authorization consistent with this variance.
This Opinion constitutes the Board*s findings of fact and
conclusions of law in this matter.
ORDER
Petitioner, the City of Centralia,
is hereby granted for
its wastewater treatment plant a variance from 35
Ill. Adm.
Code 302.209, 304.120(c)
and 304.121, subject to the following
conditions:
1.
This variance will expire on October 31,
1985.
2.
Petitioner shall meet the following interim effluent
limitations:
Daily
Grab
Composite
Sample
Biochemical oxygen demand
30 mg/i
45 mg/i
(5 day)
Total suspended solids
30 mg/i
45 mg/i
3.
Petitioner shall timely meet the following schedule:
Complete design
-
July 31,
1983
Complete construction
-
September 30, 1985
Begin operation
-
October 31,
1985
4.
Petitioner shall maintain the pumps at the terminal
lift station in working order.
49-237
—4—
5.
Petitioner shall provide the best degree of operation
and maintenance as practicable both at the wastewater
treatment
plant and on the sewer system in order to
keep the pollutant load to the receiving stream at a
minimum.
6.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency shall
issue an NPDES permit and construction authorizations
consistent with this variance.
7.
Within forty-five days
of the date of this Order,
Petitioner shall execute and forward to the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, Variance Section,
2200 Churchill Road, Springfield, Illinois 62706,
a Certificate of Acceptance and Agreement to be bound
by all terms and conditions of this variance.
This
forty-five day period shall be held in abeyance for
any period this matter is being appealed.
The form
of the Certificate shall be as follows:
cERTIFICATION
I,
(We,) _______________________,
having read
and fully understanding the Order in PCB 82—98, hereby
accept that Order and agree to be bound by all of its
terms and
conditions.
SIGNED ___________________________
TITLE
____________________________
DATE
______________________________
IT IS SO ORDERED.
I, Christan L. Moffett,
Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board, hereby c~rtifythat t1~eabove Opinion and Order
were ~dopted on the
~
day of ~
,
1982 by a vote
of
~
Christan
L. Morr1e1t~Clerk
Illinois Po1lutf~L-~ontrolBoard
49-238