ILLINOIS POLLEJTION CONTROL
BOARD
March
5,
1981
‘t~LACE O~’
HANNA
CITY,
Petitioner,
v.
)
PCB
R0—2;J’
‘~
~I~i~)I~ ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY,
Respondent.
J~PuE:iE~’iTALOPINION AND ORDEfl OF THE BOARD (by
3.
Anderso’i~
On ~ianuary
22, 1981, the Board adopted its Final. Opini.m
and Order in this action, which in relevant part denied the
petitioner’s request for variance from the 15
pCi/i
radiologi~’al
quality standard of Rule 304(C) (1) of Chapter 6: Public Water
¶upply. Variance was denied, because
the
Board had not been
advised as to the dates and accuracy of Agency tests for qross
alpha particle activity.
On February 19, 1981, pursuant to Procedural Rule 333, the
Agency moved the Board to modify its Order of January 22, 1981
to
grant the requested variance. In support of its motion, which
was accompanied by appropriate affidavits, the Agency stated that
procedures to correct its radiological testing accuracy problems
were “immediately carried out as of August 21, 1980, and the
Agency has confidence in the test results after that date.”
~n Agency reanalysis of a composite of prior quarterly samples
of
petitioner’s finished water performed on August 27, 1980
and
Cepternber 5, 1980 was also provided, which showed gross alpha
“articie activity of 24.7 ±11.8 pCi/i.
Rather than putting the parties to the expense of initiatir.q
another, separate variance proceeding, the Board will modify
its Order to grant the variance requested, particularly as no
objections were made to the original petition and no hearing was
held. Based on the especially burdensome costs of compliance to
petitioner’s 460 customers, and the lack of a demonstrated threat
to the health of petitioners customers, the Board finds that
arbitrary or unreasonable hardship has been shown. Variance from
the 15 pCi/l gross alpha particle activity limit of Rule 304(C)(i)
of
Chapter 6: Public Water Supply. Variance, with conditions, i~
granted for approximately five years, rather than until January 1,
1984, for the reasons expressed in the main Opinion. For reasons
of administrative convenience, this radiological quality variance
shall, expire January 22, 1986, the date of expiration of the
pr~viouslygranted fluoride variance.
41—31
This ~3upplementalOpinion constitutes the Board’s supplementa’.
findings oF fact and conclusions of law in this matter.
ORDER
Paragraph
2
of the Board’s Order of January 22, 1981 is
~ierebyvacated, and the Order is hereby supplemented with the
following additional paragraphs:
4. Petitioner, the Village of Hanna City, is also granted
a variance from the 15 pCi/i gross alpha particle activity limit
of Rule 304(C)(l) of Chapter 6: Public Water Supply until
Thnuary 22, 1986, subject to the following conditions:
A. Petitioner shall, in consultation with the Agency,
continue its sampling program to determine as accurately
as possible the level of radioactivity in its wells and
finished water. Testing for radium 226 and 228 shall be
commenced.
B. Beginning on or about June 1, 1981, and at six month
intervals thereafter, the Petitioner shall communicate
with the Agency in order to ascertain whether radiological
contaminant removal techniques specifically applicable
to small systems have been developed and identified, and
to learn which Illinois landfills, if any, are able to
accept wastes generated by the lime softening process.
C. As expeditiously after identification of a feasible
compliance method as is practicable, but no later than
January 1, 1984, Petitioner shall submit to the Agency
a program (with increments of progress) for bringing
its system into compliance with radiological quality
standards.
D. Pursuant to Rule 313(D)(1) of Chapter 6, on or
before March 30, 1981 and every three months thereafter,
Petitioner will send to each user of its public water
supply a written notice to the effect that Petitioner
has been granted by the Pollution Control Board a
variance from the 15 pCi/l maximum gross alpha particle
activity standard. The notice shall state the average
content of gross alpha particle activity in samples
taken since the last notice period during which samples
were taken.
5. Within forty—five days of March 5, 1981, Petitioner
shall execute and forward to the Illinois Environmental Protection
agency, PWS, Enforcement Programs, 2200 Churchill Road, Spring-
field, 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 he held in abeyance for any period
this matter is being appealed. The form of the certificate shall
he as follows:
4 1—32
CERTIFICATE
t, (We)
, —~
_________________________________________________
______ ,
haviriq rea
the original
Order of
the Illinois Pollution Control 3oard of
January 22, 1981 and the supplemental Order of March 5, 19~iin
~?C1380—206,
dated
_______________,
understand and accepb
tiLe saL~
Orders,
realizing
that such acceptance renders all terms and.
~ondit~ons
thereto
binding and enforceable.
Petit ioner
~y:
Authorized Agent
“itle
~
LC
IT I~3 ~O ORDERED
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois
Pollution
Control ~3oard, hereby certify that the above SuppThr~ental OpI~i~n
~d
Order
was ,~dopted on the
~
day of
~
i~Ri
~)V
a vote of ,S-Q
Illinois
Pol
Ltrol Boar~i
41—33