ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
September 29,
1975
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
Complainant,
v.
)
PCB 74—258
PRESTON UTILITIES CORPORATION,
)
an Illinois Corporation,
Respondent.
Mr.
James K. Jenks, Assistant Attorney General, appeared on
behalf of the Complainant;
Mr. Mark
H.
Virshbo and Mr. Glenn E.
Nelson,
Isham, Lincoln
and Beale, appeared on behalf of the Respondent.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Goodman):
This matter comes before the Pollution Control Board
(Board)
upon the July
8,
1974,
complaint of the Environmental
Protection Agency
(Agency)
against Preston Utilities Corporation
(Preston),
an Illinois Corporation.
The complaint charges
Preston with violation of Section 12(a)
of the Environmental
Protection Act
(Act)
and Rule 403 of the water regulations
from July
1,
1970 to the date of filing;
Rules 203(a)
,
404,
501,
1002 of the Water Regulations;
and Section 12(b)
of
the Act and Rule 903(a)
of the Water Regulations from June
30,
1974 to the date of filing of the complaint herein.
Two
hearings were held,
August 23
1974,
and August 20,
1975,
respectively.
At the final hearing a stipulation and settlement
proposal was read into the record.
Preston is a privately-owned public utility providing
sewer service to 795 residential and commercial customers in
Joliet Township, Will County,
Illinois.
Preston collects
domestic wastes through 6.2 miles
of sewer mains and treats
said wastes in a 200,000 gallon/day capacity primary treatment
plant consisting of a lift station, meter, Yeoman Spirogester,
and gas chlorinator~
The effluent is discharged from the
plant to Hickory Creek,
approximately one mile from its
confluence with the Des Plaines River downstream of Lockport
(Stip.
2).
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—
597
—2—
Preston admits that the BOD and SS concentrations of
its effluent from its primary treatment plant exceeded the
limits imposed by Rule 404 of the Water Regulations and that
the fecal coliform concentrations
of the effluent exceeded
the limit imposed by Rule 405 of the Water Regulations on
those dates set forth in the complaint
(Stip.
3).
Preston also admits that,
since March
7,
1972,
it has
discharged
the effluent from its treatment plant into the
waters of the State of Illinois without submitting operating
reports
to the Agency required pursuant to Rule 501(a)
of
the Water Regulations.
In addition, Preston admits that
it
has not filed a Project Completion Schedule required by Rule
1002 of the Water Regulations
(Stip.
3).
Finally, Preston admits that
it has been operating
its
primary treatment plant, since June
30,
1974, without an
Agency issued operating permit required pursuant to Rule
952(a)
of the Water Regulations
(Stip.
4).
Preston has entered into
an agreement with City of
Joliet whereby Preston will construct a connection of its
present outfall into Hickory Creek with the influent manhole
of the City’s East Side Sewage Treatment Plant.
Joliet
would then treat Respondent’s wastewater at a charge to
Preston according to the City’s tarriff for its extracorporate
customers.
Preston agrees
to pay a stipulated penalty of $4,000.00
for its violations of the Act and Water Regulations.
In
addition, no later than October
15,
1975, Preston will file
with the Agency an application for a permit to construct
a
connection of its present outfall into Hickory Creek with
the City of Joliet’s inceptor main at the City’s East Side
Sewage Treatment Plant and Preston will file for all other
necessary permits.
Within
30 days of the receipt of all necessary permits,
Preston, pursuant to its memorandum of agreement with Joliet,
will request an easement for construction and will place
orders for construction materials.
After receiving a construction permit, Preston agrees
to submit progress reports
to the Agency’s Compliance Program
Coordinator,
2200 Churchill Road,
Springfield,
Illinois,
every
30 days.
Preston also agrees to commence construction
within
30 days of its receipt of the required materials at
the site,
and baring any delays caused by forces beyond
Respondent’s control,
to complete construction within
90
days of its commencement.
18
—
598
—3—
The Board finds Preston’s proposed settlement to be a
viable means of ending its polluting of the State’s Waters
and therefore accepts the Agreement.
The Board further
finds that Preston has violated Section
12(a)
of the Act and
Rule 403 of the Water Regulations from July
1,
1970 to
July
8,
1974; Rules
203(a),
404,
501,
1002 of the Water
Regulations on those dates specified in the complaint;
and
Rule 903(a)
of the Water Regulations and Section
12(b)
of
the Act from June
30,
1974,
to July
8,
1974.
The Board
assesses the stipulated penalty of $4000.00 for said violations.
This Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and
conclusions of
law of the Board in this matter.
ORDER
It
is the Order of the Pollution Control Board
that:
1)
Respondent Preston Utilities is found to have
violated Section 12(a)
of the Act and Rule 403 of the Water
Regulations from July
1,
1970 to July
8,
1974;
Rules 203(a)
404,
501,
1002 of the Water Regulations on those dates
specified in the Complaint;
and Rule 903(a)
of the Water
Regulations and Section
12(b)
of the Act from June
30,
1974
to July
8,
1974;
and
2)
Respondent Preston Utilities shall pay as a stipulated
penalty the sum of $4000.00,
payment to be made within
35
days of the date of this Order,
by certified check or money
order to:
State of Illinois
Fiscal Services Division
Environmental Protection Agency
2200 Churchill Road
Springfield,
Illinois
62706
and
3)
By no later than October 15,
1975, Respondent will
file with the Complainant an application for a permit to
construct a connection of its present outfall into Hickory
Creek with the City of Joliet’s interceptor main at the
City’s East Side Sewage Treatment Plant and will file application
for other necessary permits; and
4)
Within 30 days of its receipt of the last of the
necessary permits, Respondent will request the City to grant
an easement for the construction pursuant to Respondent’s
Mcrnorandum of Agreement with the City and will place orders
for the materials which will be required for the construction;
and
18—599
—4—
5)
Subsequent to its receipt of the construction
permit from Complainant, Respondent will submit progress
reports to Complainant’s Compliance Program Coordinator,
2200 Churchill Road,
Springfield, Illinois,
every 30 days;
and
6)
Within
30 days of its receipt of the required
materials at the construction site, Respondent will commence
construction; and
7)
Subject to delays due to adverse weather or river
conditions,
labor disputes,
or other causes beyond Respondent’s
reasonable control, Respondent will complete construction
within
90 days of commencement.
I, Christan L.
Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board, hereby certify the above 0 in~onand Order
were adop~edon the
_________
day ~
1975 by a
Christan L.
Moffett
erk
Illinois Pollution
rol Board
18
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600