ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October 22, 1981
ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY,
)
Complainant,
)
v.
)
PCB 79—273
COMMONWEALTH EDISON COMPANY, an
)
Illinois Corporation (Powerton
)
Station),
Respondent.
MR. THOMAS CHIOLA, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, APPEARED ON BEHALF
OF THE COMPLAINANT;
MS. SUSAN B. PROCTOR,
ISHAM, LINCOLN & BEAL, APPEARED ON BEHALF
OF THE RESPONDENT.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD (by J.D.
Dume.le):
This matter comes before the Board upon a complaint which
was filed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Agency)
on December 21,
1979, alleging that the Commonwealth Edison
company (Edison) violated Rules 404,
405, 408 and 901 of
Chapter
3:
Water Pollution,
and Section 12 of the Illinois
Environmental Protection Act (Act).
On January 28,
1980,
Edison
moved to consolidate this matter with PCB 79—272, —274,
—275
and 78—272.
That motion was denied by the Board on February
7,
1980.
Hearing was held on September 16, 1981 at which time
a settlement agreement was presented.
No members of the public
were present.
Edison owns and operates a coal—fired,
fossil fuel electric
generating station located in Tazewell County which is known as
the Powerton Station and which discharges to waters of the State
(probably the Illinois River, though this is not specified)
pursuant to NPDES Permit No.
0002232.
On June 9,
1977 the Board
granted Edison a variance for certain of these discharges until
March, 1979
(PCB 77—13,
25 PCB 703).
From at least October
1,
1977 through November
1,
1978,
Edison discharged contaminants from its Powerton facility which
exceeded the limits of the variance, the NPDES permit and Chapter
3.
These violations are summarized below (Stip. 6—13):
43—513
—2—
Discharge Point
Sewage Treatment
Plant
(STP)
#1
STP #1,
Outfall 004(a)
STP #1
Outfall 004(a)
3/78
STP #1
Outfall 004(a)
Secondary Ash Settling
(SAS)—~utfall001
SAS—Outfall 001
5/78
Demineralizer Filter
Backwash (DFB)—
Outfall 003
SAS—Outfall 001
STP—Outfall 004(a)
SAS—Outfall 001
DFB—Outfall 003
SAS—Outfail
001
DFB—Outfall
003
STP—Outfall 004(a)
DFB—Outfall 003
STP—Outfall 004(a)
Contaminant
Fecal Coliform
Fecal
Coliforrn
BOD5
BOD5
TSS
TSS, Oil and Grease
Total Iron
Total Iron
TSS
Fecal Coliforrn
TSS,
Total Iron
TSS,
Total Iron
TS S
TSS,
Total
Iron
Fecal Coliform
Total Iron
Total Iron,
TSS
Contaminant
TS S
TSS
TS S
TSS,
Total Iron
BOD
,
TSS
Fec~lColiform
B0D5
TSS,
Total Iron
TSS
TS S
TSS
TSS
TSS
Total Iron
TSS,
Fecal Coliform
TS S
Total Iron
TS S
TSS
Rule 408
Rule 405
Rule 408
Rule 405
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 405
Rule 408
Rule 408
Violation
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 405
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 404
and 405
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 408
Rule 404
Date
10/77
1/78
2/78
4/78
5/78
Violation
Rule 405
Rule 405
Rule 405
Rule 405
Rule 408
6/78
7/78
8/78
9/78
Date
11/78
12/78
1/79
3/79
4/79
5/79
6/79
8/79
9/79
10/79
11/79
Discharge Point
SAS—Outfall
001
DFB—Outfall 003
SAS—Outfall 001
DFB—Outfall
003
STP—Outfall 004(a)
STP—Outfall 004(a)
DFI3—Outfall 003
SAS—Outfall 001
DFB—Outfall
003
DFB-Outfall 003(a)
DFB—Outfall 003(a)
DFB-Outfall 003(a)
DFB—Outfall 003(a)
STP—Outfall
004(a)
SAS—Outfall 001
DFB—Outfall 003(a)
DFB—Outfall 003(a)
STP—Outfall 004(a)
43—514
—3—
Some of these violations also resulted in violations of the
Permit and therefore Rule 901, and Sections 12(a)
and
(f) of the
Act.
Further, on December 15,
1978; August 23,
1979;
September 24,
1970; and November
1,
1979 Edison caused or allowed discharges
which resulted in fish kills (Stip.
13).
The Agency and Edison agreed that Edison shall cease and
desist from the above violations and that the sole environmental
injury is as described above.
The terms of the settlement include:
a revision of its treatment process such that demineralizer
regenerate wastewater is rerouted directly to the ash pond;
a pH
monitoring and alarm system;
facilities for flow measurements;
disinfection of tL~locomotive house sewage plant; NPDES permit
modifications; a $3,000 payment for the value of the fish killed;
immediate notification to the Department of Conservation for any
future fish kills; and a penalty of $20,000.
Based upon the penalty and other steps which will be taken
to protect the environment, the Board finds the stipulated
agreement acceptable under Section 33(c) of the Act and Procedural
Rule 331.
This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and
conclusions of law in this matter.
ORDER
1.
Commonwealth Edison Company has violated Rules 404,
405,
408 and 901 of Chapter
3:
Water Pollution, and Sections
12(a)
and 12(f) of the Act.
2.
It is hereby ordered that Edison shall cease and desist
from any and all violations of the Act and Rules 408 and
901 of Chapter
3 for all discharges at the Will County
Station, and otherwise comply with all terms and conditions
of the Stipulation and Proposal for Settlement filed
in
this matter on September 22,
1981,
which is incorporated
by reference as if fully set forth herein.
3.
Within 30 days of the date of this Order,
Edison shall,
by certified check or money order payable to the State of
Illinois, pay the stipulated penalty of $20,000 which is
to be sent to:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Fiscal Services Division
2200 Churchill Road
Springfield,
Illinois
62706
4.
Within 45 days of the date of this Order,
Edison shall
by certified check or money order payable to the State
Fish and Game Fund, pay the stipulated sum of $3,000
which is to be sent to the address in
(3)
above.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
~3—515
—4—
I,
Christan
L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board, hereby çprtify that th
above Opinion and Order
was adopted on the~.” day of
___________,
1981 by a vote
~
ristan L. Moffe
,
erk
Illinois Pollution
rol Board
43—516