ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
February 14,
1973
CITY OF EAST
ST.
LOUIS
P03 72—393
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
CONSOLIDATED
VILLAGE OF SAUGET
v.
)
PCB 72—396
P03 72—407
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
OPINION AND ORDER OF
THE BOARD
(by Mr.
Dumelle):
This case involves three separate petitions
for variance which
have been consolidated.
Hearing was held on the consolidated
matter on December
18,
1972.
East St. Louis requests
a variance from Rule
404
(a)
(i)
of
the
Illinois Water Pollution Regulations which requires
that
no
effluent
to the Mississippi River shall exceed
30 mg/i BOD5
or
37
mg/i suspended solids after December
31,
1973.
They now operate
a primary sewage treatment plant consisting
of
sedimentation for
removal of solids
and skimming
for floating matter.
The materials
so removed
are pumped into two sludge thickening tanks,
then pumped
to vacuum sludge dryers and then removed
to
a
landfill.
The
influent to the plant averages eighteen million gallons per day
(MGD)
consisting of 65
industrial waste, 25
domestic sewage and 9
infiltration.
The plant serves the area within the city limits of
East St.
Louis which has
a population
of
82,000.
The plant also
serves a number of industries, the largest of which are manufacturing
and meat packing plants.
The effluent is discharged directly to the
Mississippi River.
The East St. Louis operating report for September,
1972 shows the
BOD level at 150 mg/i and the suspended solids at 180 mg/l.
Samples
taken
by
the Agency on July 28, 1972 show
55 mg/l BOD,
280 mg/l sus-
pended solids and 460,000/100 ml fecal coiiform.
Samples taken by
the Agency on September
6,
1972 show 110 mg/i BOD,
80 mg/i suspended
solids and 7700/100 ml fecal coliform,
7
—93
On November
3,
1971 East St. Louis entered into an agreement
with an engineering consultant to determine preliminary and final
engineering designs for a secondary waste treatment
system.
A
preliminary engineering report was submitted in September,
1972
and the final plans are expected in March,
1973.
The Village of Sauget requests two variances.
One is similar
to East St. Louis in that it also seeks relief from Rule 404
(a)
(1)
of the Water Pollution Regulations
(72-396) and the other
(72-407)
requests an extension of the variance granted in PCB71—287 related to
the installation of secondary treatment facilities.
The latter
petition also requests an extension of the November 15, 1972 dead-
line provided in paragraph 1
(b)
of the Order for completion of
final engineering design to January 15,
1973.
They also request an
extension of the bond forfeiture date to January
25,
1973.
The Sauget plant provides only primary treatment and has a
design average flow of
32 MGD.
It discharges directly to the
Mississippi
River.
The average daily flow is
20 MGD which is 99
industrial.
The
plant serves the area within the Village limits
which has a population of 220 persons.
The industrial load has a
population equivalent of
320,000.
There are six industries tribu-
tary to the plant, the largest of which
is Monsanto Chemical Company.
Effluent samples taken by
the
Agency on February
1,
1972 show
180 mg/i SOD,
38
mg/i
suspended solids and less than 100/100 ml fecal
coliforni.
The May 10, 1972 Agency samples show
75 mg/i BOD,
42 mg/i
suspended solids and 10/100 ml fecal coliform.
The August 29,
1972
Agency samples
show 100 mg/i BOD and 65 mg/i suspended solids.
The
August sample also
showed
other
concentrations of iron
(8.4 mg/i)
lead
(0.1 mg/i), mercury
(.007 mg/i),
zinc
(1.5 mg/i),
ammonia
nitrogen
(42 mg/i)
and a low pH
(3.5).
Sauget~sengineering consultant completed its Phase IIA process
design work on July 15,
1972.
A formal written contract for Phase
IIB engineering services was entered into with the same consultant
on September 29,
1972.
Except as relates
to the November 15, 1972
interim deadline, Sauget has appeared to comply with the conditions
of the December 21 and 30, 1971 Board Orders in PCB71-287.
That
Order provided, among other things that Sauget complete its final
engineering design by November 15, 1972 and that they post a bond
of $50,000
to be forfeited if the deadline was not met.
They are
now requesting
a two month extension until January 15,
1973.
Inasmuch
as Sauget has made substantial progress on its program in the past
year we will grant the short extension requested.
The bond will now
apply to the extended January 15, 1973 date.
—2—
7—94
The petitioners are participants
in
the Southwestern
Illinois
Metropolitan Area Planning Commission
(SIMAPC) which
is charged with
development of the area’s official water quality management plan.
There are alternative plans for regionalization of
the
area
in which
the petitioners are located.
From investigation of those plans
it
appears that
a delay in construction of the required facilities may
well occur.
A six month,
$50,000 study is currently being conducted
to determine the feasibility of treating combined wastes f~romEast
St. Louis, Sauget, Lansdowne and Cahokia.
Preliminary results of
the
study have indicated that those combined wastes do appear to be biologic
ally treatable.
Under the regional plan,
each
of
the primary treatment
plants would be retained with their effluents being transported to
the
regional secondary plant.
As an alternative to
a regional secondary system the petitioners
would build their own secondary plants.
The results of the SIMAPC
feasibility study will determine which alternative to take.
The peti-
tioners, however, are currently developing plans for their own secondary
plants
in the event that such alternative becomes more feasible after
the
study
is completed.
As
to the relative costs involved,
it is es-
timated
that the capital cost of a regional plant would be $21 million
as compared to
$29 million total
for separate plants.
It
is also
estimated that over the life of the regional plant’s operation and
maintenance,
savings of around $30 million could be expected over what
it would cost to operate and maintain separate plants.
We
find that in either event the December 31, 1973 completion date
will not be achieved.
Inasmuch as there has been significant progress
made up until now and also since the petitioners have made commitments
to continue that progress we will grant a one year variance from Rule
404 (a) (i)
of the Water Regulations.
We should note that at the hearing
a representative of the Federal EPA also suggested that under the cir-
cumstances
a variance should be granted.
This opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and conclu-
sions of law.
ORDER
1.
The Village of Sauget
is granted an extension until January
15,
1973
from the interim date of November 15,
1972 for completion of
its
final engineering plans
as specified in PCB71-287 orders dated
December 21 and
30, 1971.
The bond is also extended to January 15,
1973.
2.
The interim order entered herein on February 6,
1973
is hereby
incorporated into this order and made
a part
hereof.
I, Christan L.
Moffett, Clerk of the Pollution Control Board, hereby
certif
that the a~oe Opinion and Order was adopted by the Board on
the
____
day of~
,
1973, by a vote of
~
to
O
—3—
7
—
95
.
.