ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
March 29,
1979
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
Complainant,
v.
)
PCB 78—311
OLIN CORPORATION,
)
Respondent.
PATRICK J.
CHESLEY, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, APPEARED ON
BEHALF OF COMPLAINANT;
RANDALL ROBERTSON,
LUEDERS, ROBERTSON
& KONZEN, APPEARED ON
BEHALF OF RESPONDENT.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Goodman):
On December 27,
1978 the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency
(Agency) filed this complaint before the Board alleging
that Olin Corporation
(Olin) had violated certain of
the
Board~sWater Pollution Regulations.
A hearing was held
in
this matter on February 22,
1979;
no citizens appeared at
the hearing, and the Board has received no public comment.
Olin owns and operates
a brass
strip and small
arms
ammunition plant
in East Alton, Madison County,
Illinois
employing approximately 5,300 workers.
The facility occupies
an area of approximately 1,700 acres, and the annual payroll
is approximately $100,000,000 per year.
The different
manufacturing processes are known as zones.
The subject
of
this complaint is the waste water treatment facility at zone
6 which treats water discharges from zones
1,
2,
4 and 7 and
which discharges approximately 3,000,000 gallons per day.
During normal conditions,
the zone
6 water treatment plant
treats all flows directed to
it before discharge to the Wood
River,
However, during occasions
of high rainfall,
a portion
of the inflow to zone
6
is necessarily bypassed to the east
fork of Wood River which subsequently discharges
into the
Mississippi River without any treatment.
Olin has been before the Board previously and had obtained
a
variance in PCB 77—177,
which was granted until March
1,
1978 and required Olin to implement the interim control
measures it had specified in its variance petition.
Currently
33—203
2
a petition for extension of the variance granted previously
is before the Board in PCB 78-60,
Although no testimony was given at the hearing,
the
parties herein filed
a stipulation for the Board’s considera-
tion pursuant to Procedural
Rule
331.
The stipulation
recites the history of the situation
and the technological
problems surrounding
it.
The stipulation sets forth the
efforts made by Olin to rectify the problem and outlines the
procedures to be used to alleviate the effect of further
discharges during heavy rainfall.
It
is alleged that the
only method of immediate compliance would he plugging of the
overflow outfalls,
resulting in flooding the company’s plant
and causing extensive damage.
The company agrees to undertake
a program which
is described
in Exhibit A and amplified by
the stipulation,
and the Agency approves and accepts this
program.
In the stipulation,
Olin does not admit that it violated
or
is violating any provisions of Federal
or State
law,
and
neither party waives its right of appeal
in any dispute
between the parties with regard to interpretation of the
provisions
of the stipulation.
Olin,
in consideration of
the Agency’s promise not to institute or
to assist any other
enforcement action for storm—related discharges, agrees to
pay $10,000.00 to the State of Illinois within
30 days of
the receipt of the Board’s Order adopting the stipulation.
In addition the stipulation contains paragraphs concerning
the rights of the Agency to inspect equipment and facilities
and the duty of Olin to provide progress reports and to
procure permits.
The total estimated cost of the program contained
in
Exhibit A
is approximately $800,000.
Completion
of the
project
is scheduled for May of 1979, and the improvements
are designed to control discharges for all rain storms
having a frequency of 10 years or less and result
in
a much
decreased discharge for a greater than 10 year frequency
rain storm.
The parties propose that the stipulation is the best
way to resolve the problem without expensive
and protracted
legal proceedings.
Considering all the factors of the case
including the proposed compliance program,
the Board will
accept the stipulation as proposed by the parties
in settle-
ment of this case.
This Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and
conclusions of law of the Board
in this matter.
33—204
3
ORDER
It
is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that:
1)
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and
Olin Corporation shall execute the applicable
provisions
of the stipulation between the parties
filed before the Board on March
1,
1979, which
stipulation is incorporated by references
as
if
fully set forth herein.
2)
In consideration of settlement of this action,
Olin Corporation shall pay $10,000.00
to the State
of I1linoi~within 45 days of the date
of this
Order,
said payment to be delivered
to the Divi-
sion of Fiscal Services of the Illinois Environ-
mental Protection Agency,
2200 Churchill
Road,
Springfield,
Illinois
62706.
3)
The Complaint herein
is hereby dismissed.
I, Christan
L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board,
hereby certify the ahoy9 Opinion and Order
was adopted on the
4q~’
day of
ft) ~
,
1979 by a
vote of
~5~o
Christan
L. Moff~j~,,Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control Board
33—205