ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October 25, 1973
IN THE MATTER OF:
THE PETITION FOR VARIANCE OF:
)
PCB 73-321
WILLIAM ROMANO
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD (by Dr. Odell)
The Petitioner, William Romano, filed a petition for
variance which was received by the Illinois Pollution Control
Board on August 6, 1973. The Petitioner requests a variance
from Order 7 of ~gue of Women Voters v. North Shore Sanitary
District, PCB 70-7, 12, 13, and 14, to obtain a sewer connection
for a proposed single-family dwelling to be built in Gurnee,
Illinois.
The Petitioner sold his home in Deerfield, Illinois, in
November, 1972, in order to work at Cherry Electric in Gurnee,
Illinois. He is now living in an apartment with his family. In
June, 1973, he purchased a vacant lot in Gurnee. An existing
sewer is within 90 feet of his lot. For tax reasons, he wants
to invest in a new home on the lot within one year after he sold
his previous home. When he purchased the vacant lot in Gurnee
he thought that sewer permits would be released in August or
September, 1973. In his letter of August 1, 1973, to the
Pollution Control Board, the Petitioner stated that (a) he had
not been able to obtain a sewer connection permit from the
North Shore Sanitary District, and (b) they suggested that he
write to PCB.
On September 18, 1973, the Illinois Pollution Control
Board received from the Environmental Protection Agency a
recommendation concerning the variance request from William
Romano.
The proposed sewer connection would be tributary to the
Clavey Road sewage treatment plant, which is owned and operated
by the North Shore Sanitary District.
9
—
647
—2--
Order
7
of: PCI3 70—7,
12,
13, and
14, of March 31, 1971,
stated that:
“The 1)istrict
shall nt permit any additions
to present sewer connections,
or new sewer connections,
to its
facilities
until
the district: can demonstrate that it can
adequat;ely treat the wastes From those new sources so as not
to vjo~ate the Rnvironmental
ProLection /\ct, or the Rules and
Requla
tions promulgated thereunder.
After
improvements at.
the Clavey Road plant, the District
was permitted to add
1,677 living
units (North Shore
Sanitary
)Jstmctv.1:nvir0nmental_~otecl~.i2~~c,
PCI3 71—343, March 2,
1972) 1:0
the
sewers tributary
to the Clavey
Road
plant for a
(‘rio(1 of one year after January 31, 1972, (PCB 71—343,
January
Ii, 1.972)
on
the condition that:
“The District
shall
maint:aln a
rnonLhly
average effluent of 20 mg/I BOD5 and 25 mg/i
suspnded so~ids at the Clavey Road
plant.”
fn
I:he Rnvironmontal
Protection
Agency report on the
Pornano ease, a summary
of
the Clavey monthly operational
reports
I rem Auqus
t:
,
1972
,
through
June
,
1973
,
shows that the Clavey
Road
plant has failed
Lo consi st:ently maintain an effluent
cUaiJLy of 20 mg/I ROD3 (this standard was met in only one,
January, 1971, of eleven
months reported), which was specified
in Lhe previous paragraph (PCB
71—343
,
January 31, 1972)
.
Sus-
pended solids were above
23
mg/i during one of the eleven
mon Lbs
included in the
Agency report.
rJ~he Rnvironmcntal
Protection
Agency believes
that “the
project: to expand and upgrade the
Clavey
plant will
be
completed
by mid—September (1973)
.
By that date,
the plant should be able
to provide secondary treatment ~or
10
MGD
on a design average
flow basis.
The Agency notes,
however, that
when the Clavey
plant can treat
10
MCD, the three
lakefront plants (Lake Forest,
Lake Bluff, and
Carey Avenue) will he diverted to Clavey.
When
the lakefront
plant flows
are combined with present flows,
the
Ontotal
October
flow
24,at
the
1973,
Ciavey
Mr.
plant
John T,
will
Bernbom,
be in
Attorney
excess of
in10the
MGD.1
Enforcement Section, Division
of
Water Pollution Control,
Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency, sent to the
Illinois
Pollution
Control Board more up—to—date information
concerning
the operation of each of
the North
Shore
Sanitary
District
plants.
This report included the following information:
~ant
rfefl
million gallons per day capacity is presently
possible.
Full secondary treatment
(18 MCD) expected
by
March 1,
1974.
Advanced treatment by September 1,
1975.
—3—
Month
Flow (MGD) BOD (mg/i) TSS (mg/i)
August 1973
6.33
11
13
July
6.34
19
23
June
7.64
23
20
May
8.19
30
31
April
10.31
28
22
March
9.21
35
21
February
6.87
33
20
January
7.56
18
17
December 1972
7.30
21
12
November
7.63
35
13
October
7.89
30
16
September
10.41
41
14
Average
7,97
27
19
Lake Bluff plant
Dry weather flows currently being pumped to Ciavey
Road plant. Total flows to be diverted to Clavey
Road plant no sooner than August 1, 1975. Average
monthly flow
=
0.35 MGD, January through August, 1973,
Average monthly BOD
=
116 mg/l, June through August,
1973. Average monthly TSS
=
110 mg/i, June through
August, 1973.
Carey Avenue plant
Dry weather flows will be pumped to Clavey Road plant
in November, 1973~ Total flows to be pumped to Clavey
Road plant by July 1, 1974. Average monthly flow
1.29 MGD, January through August, 1973. Average
monthly BOD
=
74 mg/i, June through August, 1973.
Average monthly TSS
=
160 mg/i, June through August,
1973.
Lake Forest plant
Dry weather flows will be pumped to Clavey Road plant
in November, 1973. Total flows to be pumped to Clavey
Road plant by May 1, 1975. Average monthly flow 1.17
MGD, January through August, 1973. Average monthly BOD
=
60 mg/l, June through August, 1973. Average monthly
TSS
=
90 mg/i, June through August, 1973.
The above information for the Ciavey Road plant indicates
that
(a) its performance has improved during recent months,
(b) it
can efficiently
handle a flow of
10 MGD
now, and (c)
it
can handle up to 18 MCD by March 1, 1974.
9
—
649
—4—
On the basis of these facts and the information given by
the Petitioner, it is the judgment of the Board that a
variance can be granted in the instant case to obtain a sewer
connection so that the Petitioner can proceed with construction.
It appears that this can be done without harming the environment,
especially since a further increase in sewage handling capacity
will be available at the Clavey Road plant at about the time the
Petitioner’s home may be completed.
ORDER
It
is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that the
petition for a Variance be and is hereby granted.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Pollution Control
Board,
certify that the above Opinion and Order was adopted by the
Board on the ~
day of cYt±~4~.~.
,
1973, by a vote
of ~
to ~
Christan L. Moffe ,Clerk
Illinois Polluti ontrol Board