ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

September 3, 1981

~I~Y

OF FX~EEPORT,

Petitioner,

)

PCB 81—57

I~LIN3IS ENVIRONMENTAL

.PROTCTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

UPINION 

AND

ORDER OF THE BOARD (by D. Anderson)

This matter comes before the Board upon 

the

petition and

amended petitions for variance filed April 15, May 14 and June l~,

1981 by

the City of Freeport (Freeport). The petition requests

extension of a variance previously granted from Rule 502(a) of

Chapter 2: Air Pollution. 

The

variance would allow burning of

clean wood wastes in a municipal air curtain destructor.

The

Illinois i~nvironmenta1 Protection Agency (Agency) filed a motion

to dismiss the original petition and requested a hearing in the

alternative. On May 14, 1981 the motion was denied and a hearing

ordered. On July 13, 1981 the Agency recommended that the variance

be granted 

with

conditions. 

The

Agency withdrew its request for

a hearing on July 22, 1981. No hearing was held and the

Board

has received no public comment.

Freeport operates an air curtain destructor approximately

one mile south of its city limits in Stephenson County. Freeport

burns landscape waste and clean lumber products from local industry.

The Agency is authorized to allow by permit open burning of land-

scape waste but not wood wastes Rule 504(a) (4). A variance from

Rule 502(a) is therefore required.

On September 15, 1376 the Board granted Freeport a five-year

variance to allow this same operation (PCB 76-158; 23 PCB 501)

There is no indication of any violation of variance conditions

during this period.

Freeport at one time burned five to seven tons of waste lumber

~er day. Freeport now allows residents to use the landscape waste

nnd

lumber 

for firewood, although this was not required by the

conditions of the previous variance.

This has reduced the quantit/

43—291

—2—

of wood burned to about four tons per day. This, together with

a reduction in the number of elm trees dying, has reduced total

burning to about 25 of levels burned in 1972. The Board finds

that Freeport has made satisfactory progress toward full compliance

within the meaning of Section 36(b) of the Environmental Protection

Act (Act). The variance will be renewed with conditions similar

to those recommended by the Agency.

The Agency estimates that open burning of four tons of wood

produces the following emissions:

Kg

Pounds

Particulates          

8.4

18

Hydrocarbons          

0.45      

1.0

Nitrogen oxides         

7.3

16

The facility is located in an isolated area about one mile

from the nearest residence. The Agency has received no complaints

about the facility. The nearest air quality monitoring station is

about thirty miles east in Rockford. The Agency considers this

distance too far to render Rockford data significant. Stephenson

County has been classified as better than national ambient air

quality standards or unclassifiable for all specified air contamin-

ants.

The Agency believes that this variance should be submitted to

the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a revision to

the Illinois State Implementation Plan (SIP). The Agency intends

to submit it as such.

Since the date of filing of the original petition Freeport has

filed with the Board a petition for a site-specific rulemaking

(R81-21). Freeport has requested only a two year variance termin-

able upon a final action in the rulemaking. This time may not be

adequate in which to complete action in the rulemaking. The Board

will therefore grant a five year variance.

This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and

conclusions of law in this matter.

ORDER

Petitioner, the City of Freeport, is granted a variance from

Rule 502(a) of Chapter 2: Air Pollution to allow the burning of

clean wood waste in the air curtain destructor described in the

Opinion, subject to the following conditions:

43—29 2

—3—

1. This variance will expire five years from the date of

this Order or upon final action of the Board in R8l-21, whichever

occurs first.

2. Petitioner shall burn only landscape waste and clean

wood waste in its air curtain destructor.

3. Petitioner shall burn no more than four tons of wood

waste per day (other than landscape waste).

4. Petitioner shall make reasonable efforts to encourage

residents to take wood and landscape waste for their own use.

5. 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 to 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:

CERTIFICATI ON

I, (We), __________________________, having read and

fully understanding the Order in PCB 81-57, 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 certify that the above Order was adopted on the 

______

day of     

L~’~1.

~ 1981 by a vote of 

IllinoisChris~anL.Pollution

Notfett,

ControlC1

9~

//f

Board

43—293