ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October 25,
1973
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
COMPLAINANT
v.
)
PCB
73—155
VULCAN
MATERIALS
COMPANY
RESPONDENT
DENNIS
R.
FIELDS, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL,
on behalf
of the
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
JOHN
C.
BERGHOFF,
JR.,
ATTORNEY,
on behalf of VULCAN MATERIALS
COMPANY
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr.
Marder)
This action involves
a complaint filed against Vulcan
Materia~Company by the Environmental Protection
Agency
on
April
13,
1973.
The complaint alleges
violations of Section
9
(a)
of
the Environmental Protection Act and Rule 3-3.111 of the Rules
and Regulations Governing the Control of Air Pollution.
Vulcan Materials
Company owns and operates
a limestone
quarry located
in Joliet,
Illinois.
Vulcan conducts blasting,
grinding,
screening,
and conveying operations
in the normal
course of
its business.
The equipment involved in this opera-
tion generates
the particulate matter and fumes which constitute
the alleged violation.
Hearing set for August
16,
1973,
was
continued so that
the Agency and Vulcan could discuss possible settlement
of this
controversy.
At the subsequent hearing date of September
7,
1973,
the Hearing Officer allowed into evidence and made
a part
of the record
a document entitled “Stipulation and Proposal
for
Settlement.”
The first encounter between Vulcan and the Environmental
Protection Agency occurred on April
22,
1971.
This
inspection
was precipitated by the complaints
of citizens
in the
area.
As
a result of this inspection Vulcan was notified that
a possible
violation existed,
and that no emission control devices were cv—
ident~
Vuican then started on
a compliance programS
A further
9
—
62~
—
—
inspection on April
6,
1972,
again indicated a problem due to lime-
stone dust was still apparent.
Further abatement actions were taken; however,
on April
13,
1973,
a complaint was filed against Vulcan by the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency.
On July 20,
1973, the Environmental Protection Agency and Vu?-
can conducted an inspection tour of Vulcan’s quarry.
As a result
of this meeting a settlement proposal was entered into for complete
compliance.
There is no
testimony elicited as to the magnitude of viola-
tions
(lbs/hr.
of particulates); however, the stipulation entered
into does not dispute said violation occurred,
The
fact that the
original complaint was precipitated by citizen protests, and that
Vulcan’s
quarry
is
centered
in
an
urban
area
are
important
consid-
erations.
The
probability
of
a
health
hazard
is
much
greater
in
an
urban
area
than
one
which
is
sparsely
settled.
The
Board
finds
that
although
the
compliance
schedule
outlined
in the Stipulation and Proposal for Settlement
is somewhat lengthy,
it will indeed abate the existing problems~
It must be mentioned
that
Vulcan
has
since
the first inspection
of
April
22,
1971,
taken
steps
to
abate
its
problems,
and
conditions
at
said
quarry
should
be
greatly
reduced
over
the
1971
level.
The
Board
further
feels
that
the
monetary
penalty
stipulated
to
is
a
just
settlement
for
past
violations~
This
Order
shall
re-
flect
the
proposed
stipulation
in
full.
This
Opinion
constitutes
the
findings
of
fact
and
conclusions
of
law
of
the
Board.
ORDER
IT
IS
THE
ORDER
of
the
Pollution
Control
Board
that
prior
to
April
1,
1974, Vulcan
shall take the following
actions at its Jol-
iet quarry:
1.
Construct,
install, and have operating a
jet spray system in the crusher plant.
This
system will involve the use of at least
twelve
(12) separate jet sprays at critical
points in the crusher plant.
2.
Complete the program of enclosing the
crusher plant and making it
as air tight as
~ib1e.
Where the present siding
is
in
good repair and air tight,
it may continue
to act as the principal enclosure.
However,
any cracks or other gaps will be covered with
the
same type of aluminum siding previously
9
—
622
—3—
added
as
a
covering.
3.
Install and operate one additional jet
spray over the primary crusher to contain
fugitive dust arising from the dumping of
newly quarried limestone rock into the
primary crusher.
4.
Cover all outside
conveyors
which
are
being used to carry crushed stone to stor-
age bins
in the crusher building and in-
stall a jet spray at transfer points where
conveyors leave the crusher enclosure.
5.
Install and maintain rubber skirting on
conveyors which are being used in order
to keep stray rocks from falling to the
ground,
6.
Install a covering on the side openings
below the load-out bins
(consistent with
reasonable safety measures for the oper-
ator and trucks)
in order to reduce dust.
7.
Reduce
the
free-fall of the aggregate
from
the
load-out
chutes
to
the
customer’s
truck by extending the chute down closer
to
the
truck.
8.
Initiate a program of wetting those stock-
piles of aggregate still in the yard area
of the Joliet quarry by adapting a water
tank truck with
a hose system which can
accomplish this purpose.
Vulcan will ob-
serve the conditions of the quarry and
weather, and when these conditions give
rise to a reasonable probability of fugit-
ive dust from these stockpiles and the
quarry, Vulcan will wet down these stock-
piles.
Vulcan will continue to store fine
screenings in the quarry below grade level.
9.
Install and operate a spray bar which will
spray all trucks transporting fine screen-
ings
(1/2” and less)
out of the Joliet quar-
ry.
Said spray will
be
installed
between
the points where the trucks load fine screen-
ings and where the trucks are weighed on the
9
—
623
—4—
exit scale.
The spray bar system shall
operate in
a manner similar to that now
being employed at Vulcan’s quarry locat-
ed in McCook, Illinois.
10.
Purchase or transfer a sweeper truck for
use in the Joliet quarry.
11.
Continue installation, and accelerate
completion,
of the placing of the large
concrete blocks along the length of the
property line along Route
53, where reas-
onable, by the transportation of said
blocks from other Vulcan facilities,
if
necessary.
12.
Block up the fan opening in the Grade
8
hopper bin to eliminate any fugitive
dust emissions from this
source.
13.
Continue the emission abatement programs
already completed and in operation such
as: the storage of
fine screenings below
grade
level; the continuing use of the
water tank truck to wet down and flush
haul roads;
and the use of proper drill-
ing techniques to eliminate dust emiss-
ions.
14.
Acquire two high-volume air samplers for
use at the Joliet quarry to attempt to
measure the effectiveness of the air poll-
ution control program.
The first such
sampler shall be operated and maintained
by Vulcan, preferably on the north side
of the Joliet quarry or on the office
building.
Vulcan personnel shall replace
and remove the filters from this first
sampler.
The second sampler shall be
placed beyond the south property line of
the Joliet quarry at
a location designated
by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Environmental Protection Agency shall
be responsible for designating a respons-
ible individual
or agency who will replace
and remove the filters from the second
sampler.
Vulcan will pay for the power
used to operate both samplers.
Both sam-
plers
shall be operated in accordance with
the air sampling schedule which
is set by
9—624
—5
the Environmental Protection Agency, on
a statewide basis, insofar as possible.
The samples from both samplers shall be
analyzed by the Vulcan laboratories io--
cated in Birmingham, Alabama.
The En-
vironmental Protection Agency will re-
quire that the individual or agency des-
ignated to maintain the second high-vol-
ume sampler return the samples to Vulcan
for transmittal to
and
analysis by Vul-
can’s laboratories in Birmingham, Ala-
bama.
Both high-volume samplers herein
designated shall be operated and main-
tained from April
1,
1974 through Octo-
ber
1, 1974.
It is further ordered that Vulcan Materials Company shall
pay to the State of Illinois the sum of $1,500.00 within
35 days
from the date of this Order.
Penalty payment by certified check
or money order payable to the State of Illinois shall be made to:
Fiscal Services Division, Illinois Environmental Protection Agen-
cy,
2200 Churchill
Road,
Springfield,
Illinois 62706.
It is further ordered that Vulcan Materials Company shall
post a performance bond in the amount of $10,000
in a form satis-
factory to the Agency and within 30
days of the date of the
Board’s order,
to guarantee performance of
the
preceding orders.
IT
IS
SO
ORDERED.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board, certify that the above Opni n and Order was adopt-
ed by the Board on the
c~S~”
day of
~
,
1973, by a
voteof
.~
to
~
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/1)
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9—