IL IS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

January 29, 1976

VILLAGE OF WALTONVILLE

)

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 75—347

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

)

Respondent.

OPINION OF THE BOARD (by Mr. Dumelle):

This Opinion is in support of an Order granting the variance

entered on November 26, 1975.

Petition for Variance was filed on September 4, 1975 from

Rules 203(c), 402 and 404(f) of Chapter 3, Water Pollution Regula-

tions, which pertain to the discharge of phosphorus from a proposed

sewage treatment plant.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency filed its

recommendation asking for a grant of the’variance on October 7,

1975. No public hearing was held.

Waltonville is a village of 385 located in Jefferson County.

The Village of Waltonville proposes to build a sewer system and a

contact stabilization waste treatment plant. Contracts for

construction of the sewage plant are expected to be awarded on

February 15, 1976 with operation scheduled for December 1, 1976.

The plant will discharge into an unnamed creek which discharges

in turn to Buck Creek and to the Big Muddy River which flows into

Rend Lake.

Rule 203(c) limits phosphorus to 0.05 mg/i in any reservoir

or lake or any stream at the point where it enters any reservoir

or lake.

The variance petition gives the following costs for variance

alternates or combinations of alternates:

19— 767

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—2—

Total Present

Annual Equivalent

Worth

Cost

Contact Stabilization

Plant

$

246,160

$23,236

Land Irrigation (following

treatment)

395,572

37,340

Diversion to another

watershed

421,297

39,768

Thus utilizing either land irrigation or watershed diversion would

more than double the costs for the project.

The Petitioner states that Rend Lake is presently at 0.08 mg/i

phosphorus content (60 over the standard of Rule 203(c). Treatment

of Waltonville’s effluent to 1.0 mg/i phosphorus content would

reduce daily discharge of phosphorus from 2.3 lbs. per day to

0.4 lbs per day. Treatment to the water quality standard of

0.05 mg/i (deemed unfeasible) would drop the discharge to 0.02

lbs. per day.

The Village asks that either no treatment for phosphorus

be required or that an effluent limit of 1.0 mg/I be set.

The Agency recommendation points out that land disposal is

complex for a small village to operate and that the soils are not

suitable for this type of disposal. The contribution of Waltonville’s

phosphorus to Rend Lake is placed at about 0.5.

Rend Lake is said to be eutrophic and phosphorus-limited

but without algal blooms. The Agency states that more research

is needed. Taste and odor problems possibly caused by algae are

experienced at the Rend Lake Water District.

We have thus a situation in which a very small village cannot

afford to remove phosphorus below 1.0 mg/i. On the other hand, Rend

Lake is characterized by the Army Corps of Engineers in a December 1974

report as receiving a ~‘dangerous”rate of phosphorus input. The

Corps also states

Because the lake is phosphorus limited,

all phosphorus inputs should be minimized

to the greatest practicable extent to slow

the eutrophication of Rend Lake.

(Appendix 3 to Recommendation, p. 2)

Therefore, we grant the variance so that Waitonville may

proceed to get its long awaited. sewage plant and sewer system. But

we shall require that provision be made for phosphorus removal

19—768

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—3--

facilities (to 1.0 mg/i) should water research show this to be

needed to save Rend Lake. The variance is granted until July 1,

1977.

This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and

conci~SiOnS of law.

Mr. Young and Dr. Satchell abstained.

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

Board, hereby certify the above was adopted on the

~

1..

day of

January, 1976 by a vote of

~3....p

Illinois Pollution

Board

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