ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

December 16, 1976

SPRINGFIELD METROPOLITAN EXPOSITION

AND AUDITORIUM AUTHORITY,

)

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 76—267

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD (by Mr. Young):

This matter comes before the Board on the variance peti-

tion filed October 27, 1976, by the Springfield Metropolitan

Exposition and Auditorium Authority seeking relief from Rule

602(a) of Chapter 3: Water Pollution Rules and Regulations.

An Agency Recommendation favorable to the grant of the variance

was filed on December 6, 1976.

Rule 602(a) prohibits the installation of any new combined

sewers unless sufficient retention or treatment capacity is

provided to ensure that no violation, of the effluent standards

occurs.

Petitioner is building a convention and exposition center

in the central area of the City of Snringfield and within an

area presently served by combined sewers. In order to save

an estimated $25,000.00, Petitioner requests that it be per-

mitted to construct four combined sewer taps into the existing

combined sewer system which bounds the construction site instead

of being required to construct four sanitary taps and four

stormwater taps. Petitioner states

this latter separation would

be required in order to comply with the literal

requirements of

Ru 1

t~

602 (a)

,

bu L alleges

(haL in LIii s i nu Lance

s iic~ ~

separation would serve no meaningful purpose.

The combined sewer systems to which Petitioner’s

wastewater

will be connected flow

to

the Spring Creek Plant of the

Spring-

field Sanitary Distric’ lithough the Spring Creek Plant has

sufficient dry weather

~city to handle the estimated sanitary

flow from Petitioner’s proposed facility, the collection system

24—459

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presently overflows at six discharge points during periods of

wet weather flow. In order

to comuly with the requirements

for

the treatment

of combined sewer overflows, the Sanitary

District

is presently in the Step II phase of the construction

grants program and the Aqency anticipates that the District

will be awarded Step III construction funds this year. Since

no new drainage area is being added to the system, the Agency

states that the grant of this variance will not materially

affect the volume or frequency of combined sewer overflows

during the period of the variance.

The Board is disposed to grant the relief requested. The

fact which the Board finds decisive in this matter is that the

stormwater which is generated from this area presently empties

into the existing combined sewers of the District. The grant

of this variance will not introduce any additional stormwater

into the combined sewer system. While additional sanitary

flow will enter the system, this flow will enter the system,

with or without the grant of this variance, because the separate

sanitary connections would be permitted. Therefore, because

the stormwater which is generated from this area presently

enters the system, and because no sanitary flow will enter the

system other than that which would enter the system even if the

sewer separation were required, the Board finds that Petitioner

has met its burden

and that it would he unreasonable to require

a sewer separation in this instance.

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

conclusions of law in this matter.

ORDER

The Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium

Authority is granted variance from Rule 602(a) of the Water

Pollution Regulations so that it can install four combined

sewer connections in accordance with Plumbing Site Plan U—i.

IT

TS~~O ORDERED

I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution

Control Board, hereby certify the ove Opinion and Order were

adopted on the ~

day of

,

1976 by

a

vote of

_____

A

Illinois

Pollution

1 Board

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