ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
September 21,
1978
VILLAGE
OF
SAUGET,
)
)
Petitioner,
)
v.
)
PCB 77—136
)
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY
)
)
Respondent.
SUPPLEMENTARY OPINION
AND ORDER
OF
THE
BOARD
(by Mr. Dwnelle):
On July 26, 1978 the Agency moved the Board to reconsider or
modify its Order dated June 22,
1978 in this matter.
In its motion
the Agency contends that the Board lacks the authority to extend
the deadline for attainment of effluent limitations based on secondary
treatment.
This authority, according to the Agency, has been extended
only to the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection
Agency
(USEPA) and the Directors of approved NPDES state programs.
The Agency’s authority to issue NPDES permits comes from the
Environmental Protection Act
(the Act), Chapter
3
of the Board’s
Rules,
and a grant of authority from the USEPA.
It should be noted
that the grant of authority from USEPA did not infuse the Agency
with new powers.
It was an acknowledgement that the Act and the
Board’s Rules were sufficient to transfer administration of NPDES
from USEPA to the Agency.
Section 39(b)
of the Act states in part:
“The Agency, subject to any condition which may be pre-
scribed by Board regulations, may issue NPDES permits to
allow discharges beyond deadlines established by this Act
or by regulations of the Board without the requirement of
a variance, subject to the Federal Water Pollution Control
Act Amendments of 1972
(P.L.
92-500)
and regulations
pursuant thereto.”
Rule 409(a)
of Chapter
3 addresses the problem of delays in compliance
due to delays in obtaining construction grant funds.
This rule
provides for extensions without Board variances if certain conditions
are met.
At paragraph 23 of the Stipulation of Fact it
is stated
that Petitioner is unable to comply with Rule 409(a).
Consequently
a variance from the requirements of Chapter 3 is necessary in
this
instance.
The Board is not deciding here whether Petitioner’s ina-
bility to comply with Rule 409(a)
jeopardizes its ability to obtain
a construction grant since the administration of the construction
grants program is clearly beyond the Board’s authority.
31—433
Rule 910(h) (6)
of Chapter
3 restricts the Agency’s authority to
establish schedules of compliance in NPDES permits.
It states in part:
“...However, the Agency shall not issue an NPDES
Permit
containing a schedule of compliance beyond July 1, 1977,
or any other compliance date established by Federal law,
to any applicant who is not in compliance with, or who has
not obtained a variance from applicable Illinois Water
Pollution Regulation,...”
Since Petitioner has not been able to comply with the July 1,
1977
deadline and no other compliance date has been established by any
competent authority
(in this case, USEPA), Petitioner needs a Board
variance in order to have its schedule of compliance extended.
Section 35 of the Act was recently amended to provide that the Board
may grant variances “...to the extent consistent with...the Clean
Water Act of 1977
(P.L.
95—217)...”.
The Board’s authority has
therefore been extended to include the grant of a variance under the
direction of Section 301(i)
of the Clean Water Act
(CWA).
The reference
in Section 301(1)
to “the State” and to “the Director”
in 40 CFR
Part 124, Subpart L shall be interpreted in this instance to refer
to the Board since the Board is the only entity with the requisite
authority to grant variances.
On July 26,
1978 Petitioner moved the Board to reconsider its
decision based on contemplated amendments to its construction grant
schedule.
The Board acknowledges that flexibility is needed to
conform with construction time tables.
However, the July 1, 1983
deadline cannot be extended since this represents the extent of the
Board’s authority.
The same limitation holds true for compliance
with pretreatment regulations because of the language in 40C.F.R.
§124.104(b).
This Supplementary Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and
conclusions of law of the Board in this matter.
ORDER
1.
The Agency’s motion for rehearing or modification is hereby denied.
2.
The Board’s Order dated June 22,
1978
is hereby amended to read
as follows:
ORDER
1.
The Village of Sauget be granted a variance from Rule 408(a)
of Chapter
3 of the Board’s Regulations, pertaining to mercury,
until July 1, 1979,
subject to the following conditions:
(a)
Sauget’s mercury effluent discharge shall not exceed a
monthly average of 0.0005 mg/i.
31—434
—3—
(b)
Sauget shall conduct an inventory on discharge of mercury
into its sewage system, provide data on daily discharges
from each source and describe all current efforts to control
such discharges.
(c)
The variance for mercury shall sooner terminate upon modi-
fication of mercury effluent standards resulting from final
action by the Board in R76-17 and R76-2l.
2.
The Village of Sauget be granted a variance from Rules 408
and 409(a)
of Chapter
3 of the Board’s Regulations pertaining
to oil and phenols, until July
1,
1983, under the following
conditions:
(a)
Sauget’s oil effluent discharge shall not exceed a monthly
average of 58 mg/i.
(b)
Sauget’s phenol effluent discharge shall not exceed.a
monthly average of
19 mg/i.
(C)
The variance for phenols shall sooner terminate upon
promulgation of appropriate Federal BAT standards for
phenols under the Clean Water Act of 1977.
(d)
Sauget shall proceed expeditiously with construction of
a regional biological waste treatment plant.
(e)
the variance for oil and phenols shall sooner terminate
upon diversion of Sauget’s wastewater flow to a regional
biological treatment plant.
3.
The Village of Sauget be granted a variance from Rule 404(b)
(i)
of Chapter
3 of the Board’s Regulations pertaining to BOD and
Suspended Solids until July 1,
1983 subject to the following
conditions:
(a)
Sauget’s BOD effluent discharge shall not exceed a monthly
average of 332 mg/i.
(b)
Sauget’s Total Suspended Solids effluent discharge shall
not exceed a monthly average of 120 mg/i.
(c)
Sauget shall proceed expeditiously with construction of
a regional biological waste treatment plant, following
the timetable in its construction grant application which
is incorporated by reference as
if fully set out herein.
(d)
Petitioner shall request the Agency, before June 26,
1978,
to issue or modify its NPDES permit to incorporate all
conditions of the variance set forth herein,
including
but not limited to:
(1)
Compliance with the timetable referred to in
Condition
(c).
31—435
(2)
Compliance with sections 201(b) through
(g) of the
C.W.A. consistent with the terms of Sauget’s con-
struction grant.
(3)
Issuance of quarterly progress reports indicating
the measures undertaken to insure maximum operation
and maintenance of existing treatment facilities
for the duration of the variance.
(4)
Compliance with all applicable pretreatment regu-
lations promulgated pursuant to C.W.A. Section 307(b)
in 40 C.F.R.
Pt. 403, or if no such regulations have
been promulgated, compliance with the pretreatment
regulations in 40 C.F.R.
Pt.
128.
4.
The Agency, pursuant to Rule 914 of Chapter 3,
shall issue or
modify Sauget’s NPDES permit consistent with the conditions
set forth in this Order including appropriate monitoring
requirements and such interim effluent limitations as may
reasonably be achieved.
5.
Within 45 days after the date of the date of this Order,
the
Petitioner shall submit to the Manager, Variance Section,
Division of Water Pollution Control, Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency,
2200 Churchill Road, Springfield, Illinois
62706 an executed Certification of Acceptance and Agreement to
be bound to all terms and conditions of the variance.
The
forty-five day period herein shall be suspended in the event
of judicial review of this variance pursuant to Section 41 of
the Environmental Protection Act.
The form of said certification
shall be as follows:
CERTIFICATION
I(We),___________________________________ having read the
Order of the Pollution Control Board in PCB 77-136, understand and
accept said Order, realizing that such acceptance renders all terms
and conditions thereto binding and enforceable.
SIGNED
TITLE
DATE
31—43~
—5—
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify the above Op
e adopted
on the
&lSr
day of
1978 by a
vote of
Clerk
Christan
Illinois Pollution Control Board
31—437