ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

June

8,

1978

MOBIL OIL CORPORATION,

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB

78—97

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

 (by Mr. Dumelle):

This case is before the Board upon a petition for variance

filed by Mobil Oil Corporation

 (Mobil) on March 31,

 1978.

 Mobil

seeks a variance from Rule 406 of the Board~sWater Pollution

Regulations for its discharge of ammonia, until July

1,

 1980.

On June

9,

 1977 the Board granted the Petitioner a similar

variance until July

1,

1978

 (PCB 77-22,

 25 PCB 715)

 Mobil

requests a two—year extension of this variance to allow the

continuation of research on technology suitabe

 for achievement

of the Rule 406 effluent standard of 3.0 mg/l for ammonia

nitrogen.

 The Petitioner has waived its right to

 a hearing

in this matter.

The subject of this petition is Mobil~ ~:cfining facility

on the Des Plaines River at Joliet.

 The refinery has a rated

capacity of 175,000 barrels per day. Process ~a~ter is

treated at the facility using activated

sludqc

and

 clarification

and is discharged at a rate of 2000 qal1on.~

~er

minute

(2.88

million gallons per day).

 Once through

 (noiicontact)

 cooling

water and clean storm water are discharged

 $eparately.

In

1977

di

scharqed

c’FilnunL

had

nv(’ra(J(~

:i.iran

roncent

rat:

i~on

~f:

17

m(~/1

Botwe(’n

Ju1_’~,

~977

jini

March.

tic

mix

iflium

monthly

averaqo

Wcu;

26

mq/i

wiLli

flLX

LJUUUI

Ia

I y

(‘~ict’Il

LiaLtun

of

 32 mg/l.

 By the terms of its present variance, Petitioner

is allowed a monthly average concentration of

 40 mg/l and daily

maximum of

 90 mg/i.

 During the two—year extension period

sought, Mobil requests interim standards

of

 37 mg/i monthly

average,

 81 mg/l daily maximum.

 This represents 889 and 1957 lbs

of ammonia respectively on a daily basis.

In support of it~variance petition Mobil alleges that

it has made good faith efforts

 to reduce ammonia discharge and

that forced compliance with the 3.0 mg/i standard would create

—

arbitrary and unreasonable hardship in light of the lack of

available and economical techno1ocr~ and the minimal effect

which Mobil has on Des Plaines River water quality.

 Petitioner

alleges expenditures of $1.75 million on ammonia reduction

efforts resulting in

 a 78

 reduction in ammonia discharge.

Mobil

 is currently engaged in reseanab efforts

 to develop the

technology necessary for compliance with Rule 406.

The Agency filed its recorrnnendatian an

 ~!av

11,

 1978.

It

indicated satisfaction with Mobil’s :fforta

 comply and

recommended granting the two—year variance :~rovided, inter alia

that Mobil comply with interim effluant

 sti.:. lards of 26 mg/l

daily average and 40 mg/I daily maximum.

Ps

 itioner filed

a response May 22,

 1978 contending

 that the anterim standards

are too restrictive because they are based on 1977 discharge

data which do not reflect normal levais of operations or

account for higher discharge during the winter months.

The Board

 finds that extension of tha Dule 406 variance

for two years

 is warranted

 in this

Case,

 Despite expendi-

tures on control equipment and research

programs,

the

 technology necessary

 to reduce

refin’.ay

 armenia discharge

to 3.0 mg/i

 is still not economically available,

In

 light

of recent improvement

 in dissolved

OXilOP

levels

 in the lower

Illinois River and Petitioner~s insiecif

 ala: effect on water

quality,

 forcing compliance at this lime would produce mini-

mal environmental benefits and be arL:J:rar~T

end

 unreasonable.

The

Board

agrees

with

Petitioner

lh~t:1v:

interim

effluent

standards

 should be

 37 mg/i

mcnld

 aerace and

81 mg/i daily maximum instead of the more reslan~ctive levels

recommended by the Agency.

 These more acce~’

y

 reflect

Petitioner’s

present

tresilent

 capability

 all refinery output.

The Board will direct the Agency ta

 ~:waca new

NPDES

permit

 to Petitioner

ccravlaten’t:

with

ah~

Crd~’a

 pursuant

to

Rule

914

Chapter

‘~

 ~cm~

r:c’hid:.

rd.

~~u1u~nt:

 1 ~mit:a—

LIons

may

recisoim

act

i.cvct

‘

ap’)

1.

~cation

the

best

practicabta

:m.nrtro~

tea

ralc•’;’

neatly

available.

This

Opinion

C0ait~t.t:te5

the

~:.

rrdincr

~‘~ac

 and conclusions

of law of the

Board

lila

v--teen,

3t

420

—3—

ORDER

It

 is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that Mobil

Oil Corporation be granted a variance from Rule 406 of Chapter

3

of the Board’s Regulations until July

1,

 1980 for its refinery

facility at Joliet,

 Illinois under the following conditions:

1.

 Mobil’s ammonia nitrogen effluent discharge shall

not exceed a monthly average discharge of

 37 mg/i

or a daily maximum of 81 mg/i.

written

consent

can

obtained

from

the

Williams

Brothers

consultant,

Petitioner

shall

provide

the

Agency with

 a summary of the findings of the “Williams

 Brothers Study” within three months of the date of

the Board Order herein.

 Such summary shall describe

the experimental apparatus used,

 the manner

in

which

 such apparatus was used,

 and the ammonia

nitrogen levels obtained as a result of this treat-

ment technique.

3.

 Petitioner shall make a good faith effort to develop

a program which will result in compliance with

Rule 406 of Chapter

3.

4.

 Within three months from the date of the Board

Order herein, Petitioner shall furnish the Agency

with a description of the

ammonia

 nitrogen control

techniques

 to be studied during the variance period.

Petitioner shall provide the Agency with progress

reports every two months

 (the first not later than

two months from the date of the Board Order herein)

which will outline Petitioner’s efforts to achieve

compliance with Rule

 406.

 These reports shall

continue to reflect the ammonia nitrogen concentrations

in

Petitioner’s

eFFluent

 i.scharqc?

during

 the preceding

two

month

period.

Petitioner

shall

 no later than July

1,

1980

provide

the

Agency

with

written

technical

proposal

and

time

schedule

for

compliance

with

 Rule

 406.

petitioner

shall

request

the

Agency

 issue a

permit to incorporate all conditions of the variance

set

forth

herein.

7.

 The Agency, pursuant to Rule 914 of CHapter

 3, shall

issue

 a new NPDES permit consistent with the condi-

tions set forth in this Order including appropriate

—

421

—4-

monitoring

requirement.s

 are’

-interim

effluent

limitations

may

reee

act ie\~ed

through

the

application

tiie

~mest: r;recl

icr-tie

control

technology

currently

 avaiiaa

Within

days

after

the

dote-il

ttts

Board

Order

herein,

the

Petitioner

shall

niece

 and forward to

the

Illinois

Environmental

 ?re:teca en

Agency,

Variance

Section,

Manager,

“iCC

‘chill

 Road,

Springfield, Illinois

 627il

a

C-n’

‘lacation

Acceptance and Agreement

 t”

bra

no’

 so all terms

and conditions of the vanaaae-a

45

day

period shall

 be held in aha’~o:ce :or any period

during which this matter is appeased.

 The form

of said Certification shall

ur.

fellows:

CERTIIr

 ICAIDInN

I(We)

-____________________

‘e’v~nq read

and

fully understanding the

Or,la.

131’

a r:

tilinois

Pollution Control Board in

(di

‘:la--’i

 hereby accepts

said

Order

and

agree

be

la.

aid

 a; aLL terms and

conditions

thereof.

SIGNED

I,

 Christan L.

Moffett~

 ~,.cr1’.

of

ar

ii

Lre:s

Pollution

Control Board, hereby certlir

 ~,,eabcve

CaJnnL

Order

were

adopted on the

day

 1978 by

vote

I’ \~

1’

—

. ‘~“

p”~,

—“

,-.

‘

a

_______

 -~‘m

~‘tro1

Board

I--