ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

September

30,

1976

GRANITE CITY STEEL, DIVISION OF

NATIONAL STEEL CORPORATION,

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 76—192

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

Mrs. Leah

S. Hamilton and Mr. Douglas

C. Nohlgren, Jenner

& Block,

appeared on behalf of Petitioner

Mr. Richard

L. Bordelon, appeared on behalf of Respondent

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

(by

Mr.

Young):

This matter comes before the Board on the Petition for

Extension of Variance filed July 15,

1976 by Granite City Steel

seeking relief from Rules 203(c) and 402 of Chapter

3:

Water

Pollution Regulations as regards phosphorus.

The Agency filed

a Recommendation on September

1, 1975;

no hearing was held

in

this matter.

Petitioner employs

5,000 persons at its Madison County

plant which produces flat rolled steel products.

Most of the

water used by Petitioner

is drawn from the Mississippi River.

Petitioner operates

a wastewater treatment facility consisting

of three oil-water separation basins,

an isolation basin,

and

a two-cell biological oxidation stabilization basin.

The 61

MGD discharge from the treatment facility enters Horseshoe Lake,

from which

the

water

returns

to

the

Mississippi River via the

Cahokia Canal.

The Company does not add or use phosphorus in its process.

However,

the phosphorus concentration in the treatment plant’s

discharge often exceeds the Rule 203(c)

standard due to the

background concentration of phosphorus contained in the water

drawn from the Mississippi River.

The average daily phosphorus

concentration in Petitioner’s discharge and in the intake water

were found to be 0.18 mg/l and 0.27 mg/i respectively.

Petitioner

seeks this variance so that it can discharge

its wastewater with

a phosphorus concentration no greater than its intake water.

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645

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In the Opinion dealing with the original variance petition

(PCB 75-58,

19 PCB 7), the Board found that the necessary techno-

logy needed

to reduce the phosphorus

to the 0.05 mg/i standard

is not practically available.

Consistent with this view expressed

by the Board, the Agency has filed a petition

(R76—l) with the

Board,

seeking changes

in the phosphorus regulation.

This pro-

posal would delete the 0.05 mg/i water quality standard for phos-

phorus

and add a 1.0 mg/i effluent standard for sources discharging

into a lake or reservoir with a surface area of 20 acres or more

and whose untreated waste

load is

1500 or more population equiva-

lent.

In view of the foregoing,

the Board is disposed to grant the

variance extension.

As

Petitioner requested,

the Board will re-

quire that the phosphorus concentration in the treatment plant’s

discharge shall not exceed the concentration of Petitioner’s intake

water from the Mississippi River.

This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and con-

clusions of law in this matter.

ORDER

1.

Petitioner, Granite City Steel,

is granted variance from

Rules

203(c)

and 402 of Chapter

3 as regards phosphorus until

October

i, 1981,

or

20 days after the Board takes final action

in consideration of Agency Regulatory Proposal

(R76-1), whichever

is earlier.

2.

During the period of the variance, Granite City Steel

shall not discharge concentrations of phosphorus

into Horseshoe

Lake

in excess of

the phosphorus

concentration

of its intake

water drawn from the Mississippi

River.

3.

Within

35 days of

the date of this Order,

Petitioner

shall

submit

to the Manager,

Variance Section,

Division of Water Pollution

Control,

Illinois Environmental

Protection Agency,

2200 Churchill

Road

,

Spr

i nq f

i (‘1

cl

,

f

1

i.

i no is

,

62706

,

a

ri

(‘XeCUt:

c’cl

Ce

r t

i Ii

cat

ion oF

Acceptance

and agreement

to be bound

to all terms and conditions

of

the variance.

The form of said certification

shall be as

foiiows:

CERTIFICATION

I,

(We)

,

_______________________________

having read

the Order of the Pollution Control Board in PCB 76-192,

understand and accept said Order, realizing that such

acceptance

renders

all terms and conditions thereto

binding and enforceable.

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646

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—3—

SIGNED

TITLE

DATE

IT IS SO ORDERED.

I,

Christan

L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Poliution Con-

trol Board, hereby certify t e ab ye Opinion and Order were adopted

on the

________

day of

_________________,

1976 by

a vote ~

C ristan

L.

~

Illinois Pollution t~Q&trolBoard

23

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647