ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
July 24,
1975
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
)
Complainant,
v.
)
PCB 74—461
ELMER CHRISTOPHER JR., d/b/a/
CHRISTOPHER SANITATION SERVICE,
Respondent.
Ms. Marilyn Resch, Assistant Attorney General, appeared on
behalf of Complainant.
Mr. Elmer Christopher,
Jr. appeared pro Se.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Goodman):
This matter comes before the Pollution Control Board
(Board)
upon the December 10, 1974 complaint of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency
(Agency).
The complaint charges
Elmer Christopher,
Jr.,
(Christopher) with operatinq a solid
waste management site in St. Clair County without an Agency
issued operating permit from July 27, 1974,
to and including
December 10,
1974, thus violating Rule 202(b) (1)
of the
Board’s Solid Waste Regulations and Section 21(e)
of the
Environmental Protection Act
(Act).
Respondent has operated a sanitary landfill on a seven-
teen acre site,
east of Caseyville and south of Collinsville,
Illinois,
since 1968.
The operation consists of five employ-
ees and three trucks
(Rl5).
The site
is open three days
a
week during warm weather
(R16)
and is closed during
the
winter months.
Christopher produced copies of his County
Landfill License
(Resp. Ex.
2);
a letter from the Illinois
Department of Public Health approving the site
(Resp.
Ex.
1);
and a $10,000 permit bond issued by Maryland Casualty Company.
The landfill has not been
in operation since November,
1974,
when Christopher’s engineer died
(R20).
The Agency produced copies of ten letters
it had sent
to Christopher from August
31,
1973,
to January
8,
1975,
warning Christopher of his need to obtain an Agency permit
and that his site may be in violation of other regulations
including but not limited to failure to compact and spread
refuse as received;
inadequate ground cover; and leachate
flowing to an adjacent creek
(Comp.
Ex.
3 through 12).
18
—
168
—2—
Christopher applied for an Agency Operating Permit on
July 22,
1974.
This application was rejected for inadequate
information and documentation on or about August
22, 1974
(Comp.
Ex.
13).
Respondent has made no other application.
The record was devoid of any information with regard
to
the quantity and quality of refuse accepted at the site,
the
cost of operation,
and any benefit the site might provide
the public.
Respondent requested a 90-day continuance within which
to complete a program of mitigation of the charges.
Said
motion was granted and the cause continued until July
9,
1975, by Board Order on April 10,
1975.
Respondent has
failed
to submit any evidence in mitigation as of July
17,
1975.
Based upon the evidence admitted in the hearings held
January
17 and February 28,
1975,
the Board
finds that the
Respondent operated a sanitary landfill without an Operating
Permit
in violation of Rule 202(b) (1)
of the Board’s Solid
Waste Regulations and Section 21(e)
of the Act.
Said vio-
lation occurred from July 27, 1975
to December 10,
1975.
In
mitigation,
Respondent states that he will not operate
the
landfill until he obtains
a proper Agency issued permit to
do so.
A penalty of $150.00
is appropriate.
This Opinion constitutes the Board’s finding of fact
and conclusions of law in this matter.
ORDER
IT IS THE ORDER OF THE BOARD THAT:
(a)
Elmer Christopher,
Jr.,
cease and desist from
operating its solid waste management site unless it
applies for and obtains an appropriate operating permit
within 120 days of the date of this Order; and
(b)
If Christopher cannot obtain an operating
permit, Petitioner is ordered
to comply with Rule 305
of the Solid Waste Regulations before permanently
closing its facility,
said compliance
to be accomplished
on or before December 22,
1975;
and
(c) Elmer Christopher is ordered
to pay, within 45
days,
a penalty of $150.00
for the violatiOns of Rule
202(b) (1)
of the Solid Waste Regulations and Section
21(e)
of the Act found herein.
Penalty payment by certified
check or money order payable to the State of
Illinois
shall be made
to:
18—
169
—3—
Fiscal Services Division
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
2200 Churchill Road
Springfield,
Illinois
62706
IT IS SO ORDERED.
I,
Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control
Board, hereby certify the above Opinion and Order
were adopted on the
Qi/ø~
day of
________,
1975 by a
vote of
5...~
eMuta1L
x.
YM5qLLI
(~)
Christan
L. Moffet
,
Cle’fk
Illinois Pollution Control Board
18
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170