ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October
8,
1981
ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL
)
PROTECTION AGENCY,
)
Complainant,
v.
)
PCB 77—322
)
CITY OF WAUKEGAN,
a municipal
)
corporation, and WAUKEGAN UNIT
)
SCHOOL DISTRICT #60,
)
)
Respondents.
)
MR. WILLIAM
E. BLAKNEY, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, APPEARED ON
BEHALF OF THE COMPLAINANT.
DIVER,
BOLLMAN, GRACH & QUADE, ATTORNEYS AT LAW (MR. THOMAS W.
DIVER,
OF COUNSEL), APPEARED ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF WAUKEGAN.
LONCHAR, NORDIGAN & RADOSEVICH, ATTORNEYS AT LAW (MR. DONALD
74.
LONCHAR, JR., OF COUNSEL), APPEARED ON BEHALF OF THE WAUKEGAN
UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT #60.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by N.E.Werner):
This matter comes before the Board on the December 5,
1977
Complaint brought by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
(“Agency”).
Count
I of the Complaint alleged that,
from October 9, 1973
until December 5,
1977, the Respondents failed to place the necessary
final cover over portions of the refuse disposal site (“site”) owned
by the Waukegan Unit School District #60
(“District”) and operated
by the City of Waukegan (“City”), thereby violating Rule 305(c) of
Chapter
7:
Solid Waste Regulations
(“Chapter 7”) and Section 21(b)
of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act (“Act”).
Count II alleged that,
from September 24,
1975 until December 5,
1977,
the Respondents allowed the open dumping of refuse without
having an Operating Permit for the site in violation of Rule 202(b)(1)
of Chapter 7 and Sections 21(b) and 21(e) of the Act.
Count III alleged that,
from October 9,
1973 until December 5,
1977,
leachate from the site entered Yeoman Creek resulting in
turbidity and unnatural color in violation of Rule 203(a) of
Chapter 3:
Water Pollution Control Regulations (“Chapter 3”) and
Section 12(a) of the Act.
43—435
—2—
Count IV alleged that,
on various specified occasions between
September
26,
1973 and December
5,
1977, the Respondents allowed
the level of ammonia in Yeoman Creek to exceed applicable
limits in
violation of Rule 302(f)
of Chapter
3 and Section 12(a) of the Act.
Count V alleged that,
intermittently from September 26,
1973
until December
5,
1977,
the Respondents allowed the level of iron
in Yeoman Creek to exceen permissible levels in violation of
Rule 203(f)
of Chapter
3
and
Section 12(a) of the Act.
Count VI alleged that,
from October
9,
1973 until December
5,
1977,
the Respondents operated their sanitary landfill
in such a
manner
as to cause water pollution by allowing leachate from the site
to flow into Yeoman Creek in violation of Rule 313 of Chapter
7 and
Section 21(b)
of the Act.
Count VII alleged that the Respondents failed to operate their
site in such
a manner
as
to prevenb the contaminants deposited
on
the land from creating a water pollution hazard in violation of
Section 12(d) of the Act.
On November
29,
1979,
the Board entered an Order which attempted
to expedite activity
in this
case.
On March
6,
1980,
the City
filed
a Motion to Dismiss Proceedings.
On April
3,
1980,
the Board granted
the City’s Motion to Dismiss.
On May
8,
1980,
the Agency filed a
Motion to Reinstate this action.
This motion was granted by the
Board on May
29,
1980.
A
hearing
was
held
on
February
5,
1981.
On
June
25,
1981,
the
Board
entered
an
Order
which
mandated
that
the
parties
file
an
executed
copy
of
the
proposed
Stipulation.
The
parties
filed
a
signed
copy
of
the
Stipulation
and
Proposal
for
Settlement,
which
was
substantially
identical
to
~the
proposed
agreement
which
was
discussed at the hearing,
on
July
27,
1981.
The
Waukegan
Unit
School
District
~60
owns
a
refuse
disposal
site
of
approximately
13.76
acres
which
is
locat&I
east
of
Lewis
Avenue
between
Buck
and
Sunset
Avenues
in
the
City
of
Waukegan,
Lake
County,
Illinois.
Yeoman
Creek,
an
Illinois
water,
flows
through
the
site.
This
property,
which
has
not
been
act~v~ly
used
as
a
landfill
since
1969,
is controlled, operated,
and managed by the
City
of
Waukegan.
On
July
30,
1973,
the
site
was
officially
closed.
(Stip.
2).
Agency inspections conducted after July
30,
1973 indicated that
there were various problems pertaining to a lack of final cover and
leachate from the site entering Yeoman Creek.
(See: Exhibit
7k).
On February 23,
1977, Bauer Engineering, Inca completed its study
pertaining to the problems at the site and made various recoi~meiidations
to the Respondents regarding the correction of existing problems.
(See: Exhibit B).
Over
a period of time, these recommendations were
implemented.
43—436
—3—
Between
1979
and
1980,
the
Respondents:
(1)
completed
their
program of applying adequate final cover to the site;
(2)
installed
a fence with gates and locks to restrict access to the property;
(3)
posted signs near all access points to indicate that random
dumping
is in violation of a local ordinance,
and
(4) installed
a
retention
berm,
along
the
area
of
the
property
directly
bordering
Yeoman Creek, to prevent any flow of
le~c’hate from
the
site
into
Ye~nanCreek.
(Stip.
3).
Additionally, to aid in the prevention of erosion, the Respondents
have agreed to complete the application
of
seeding to the surface of
the
site
by
November 1,
1981.
(Stip.
4).
Moreover,
a careful
monitoring program of Yeoman Creek will be implemented to sample and
analyze,
on a quarterly basis, the water quality and sediment levels
at
various
specified points.
(Stip.
4).
The
proposed
settlement
agreement
provides
that
the
Respondents
shall:
(1)
promptly
complete
the
seeding
of
the
site;
(2)
i.r~pleirient
a
detailed
monitoring
program
of Yeoman Creek
(which
includes
measurement
of
the
levels
of chloride,
iron,
ammonia, total dissolved
solids,
COD,
and
PCB)
and
submit
the
results
of the
monitoring
to
the
Agency
every
3
months
for
a
period
of
3
years,
and
(3)
pay
a
stipulated
penalty of $1,000.00
.
(Stip.
4).
In evaluating this enforcement action and proposed settlement
agreement, the Board has taken into consideration all the facts and
circumstances in light of the specific criteria delineated in
Section 33(c) of the Act.
The Board finds the settlement agreement
acceptable under Procedural Rule 331 and Section 33(c) of the Act.
Accordingly, the Board finds that the Respondents, the City of
Waukegan and the Waukegan Unit School District #60, have violated
Rules 203(a),
203(f), and 512(a) of Chapter
3:
Water Pollution
Control Regulations;
Rules 202(b)(1), 305(c), and 313 of Chapter 7:
Solid Waste Regulations,
and Sections 12(a),
12(d),
21(b), and 21(e)
of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act,
The Respondents
will.
he
ordered to pay the stipulated penalty of $1,000.00
This Opinion constiti’es t’~eBoard’s findings of fact and
conclusions of law in ths matter.
ORDER
It is the Order of the Illinois Pollution Control Board that:
1,
The Respondents, the City of Waukegan and the Waukegan Unit
School District #60, have violated Rules 203(a),
203(f),
and 512(a)
of Chapter
3:
Water Pollution Control Regulations;
Rules 202(b) (1),
305(c), and 313 of Chapter 7:
Solid Waste Regulations, and
Sections 12(a),
12(d),
21(b), and 21(e) of the Illinois Environmental
Protection Act.
43—4 37
—4—
2.
Within 45 days of the date of this Order, the Respondents
shall, by certified check or money order payable to the State of
Illinois, pay the stipulated penalty of $1,000.00 which is to be
sent to:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Fiscal Services Division
2200 Churchill Road
Springfield, Illinois
62706
3.
The Respondents
shall comply with all the terms and
conditions of the Stipulation and Proposal for Settlement filed
July 27,
1981, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set
forth herein.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board,
hereby certify that~the above Opinion and Order were adopted
on
the
~
day of
~
,
1981 by a vote of
S~-o.
Illinois Pollution
Board
43—438