ILLINOIS

POLLUTION

CONTROL

BOARD

August 1,

1974

CITY OF EFFINGHAM

PCB 74~l86

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY)

OPINION AND ORPER OF THE BOARD

(by Dr~ Odell)

On May

2.1, 1974,

the City of Effingham filed with the

PollOtion Control Board

(Board)

a Petition for Variance from

die 203(f)

of. the Water Pollution Regu1at~ons (Chapter 3)~

Rule 203(f)

of Chapter

3 states,

in pertinent part,

that the

concentration of copper in any water of the State may not exceed

0~02mg/i.

Effingham wants to treat its 64~milliongallon public

water supply reservoir with copper sulfate to control excess

algae growth which occurs during the warm summer months~Effingham

alleges that there have been no adverse effects from the use of

copper sulfate as an algicide in their reservoir during the summers

since 1947.

Alternative aigicides are less desirable than copper

sulfate

On May 23, the Board issued an interim Order requesting

additional information within

35 days relative to copper levels

in the raw water intake actually achieved under the previous

Variance

~

PCB

73~39i,

Octoter

18,

isi3~.

On June 7,

1974,

the Board received information from the

City of Effingham that

(a)

although they received a Variance

(PCB 73~39i) for the use of copper sulfate in the summer of

1973,

this treatment was not used and

(b)

they

“have no information on

the resultant concentration of copper with treatments previous to

l973~

The Environmental Frotection Agency

(Agency)

filed its

Recommendation on July

8, l974~ “Petitioner~soperator states

that because of the lateness of the petition

(filed with the

Agency

September

7,

1973)

and

the

resulting

Board

order,

Petitioner

did not make any copper sulfate treatment during l973~ Therefore,

Petitioner has ro special copper measurements for review~ The

Agency has in its file~~

s

tire following copper measurements taken in

conjunction with other water analyses from the Petitionerth water

supply.

They are

as follows:

---

Date

Sampling

collected

point

Sample type

4.30.73

Finished

Monthly bacterial

5.30.73

Raw

Monthly bacterial

8,13.73

Raw

Complete mineral

0.08 mg/i

8.13.73

Finished

0.0

8.21.73

Raw

Monthly bacterial

8.21.73

Raw

Monthly bacterial

9.25.73

Raw

Monthly bacterial

0.15 mg/i

In light of Petitioner’s allegation that no copper sulfate treat—

ment occurred during the 1973 season,

the Agency finds the copper

concentiation levels reported for August 21,

1973, and September 25,

1973, smewhat puzzling.

The most likely implication of these

measurements is that Petitioner did,

in fact,

treat the reservoir

prior to receiving a variance,

although the Agency does not have

any further evidence on this point.

While

the

Agency is concerned

about the possibility of an infraction by Petitioner,

it does not

feel that an implication of such an infraction is sufficient to

warrant

the

adverse results from denial of Petitioner’s present

request for a copper sulfate variance.u

The Agency recommends that

the Variance be granted, subject to certain conditions.

The Board notes the irregular copper values in August and

September,

1973, and urges Petitioner to monitor copper concentra-

tions more carefully.

The Board will grant this Variance because

(a)

copper sulfate is the best available treatment for excess algae,

(b)

no short term adverse environmental effects will result if the

treatment is properly made, and

(c) it will be beneficial

to the

IT IS THE ORDER of the Pollution Control Board that:

Variance is granted from Rule 203(f) of the Water Pollution

Regulations

(Chapter 3)

to permit exceeding the water quality

standard for copper of 0.02 mg/i when treating with copper sulfate

for algae control in the water supply reservoir during the summer

of 1974.

This Variance is subject to the following conditions:

a.

The copper sulfate treatment shall be limited to

through October, 1974.

13

—

278

---

—3—

b.

The copper sulfate dosage shall not exceed 300

pounds per treatment.

c.

Copper concentrations at the raw water intake

to the treatment plant should never exceed

the 1.0 milligram per liter; and

d1

Copper concentrations in the reservoir shall be

measured immediately prior to and after each

copper sulfate treatment and the results of the

measurements shall be submitted to the Agency

on a monthly basis.

e.

Petitioner shall measure copper concentrations

at the raw water intake during times of copper

sulfate application and keep those measurements

on file for Agency review.

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

Board, hereby certify that the abo~eOpinion

and

Order was

adopted on the

~

day of

,1974, by

a vote of

____

to

~stanL.Mett