ILLINOIS

POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

July 25, 1972

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH

#72—108

V.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

(BY SAMUEL T.

LAWTON,

JR.)

Petition for variance from an Order of the Environmental

Protection Agency designating the sewer

to which connection is

sought inadequate, was filed by the Central Christian Church,

a

religious corporation, presently operating

in a sixty—seven year-

old building in Waukegan,

Illinois, and servicing a congregation

of seventy—five families,

to enable the erection of a new church

structure at 1400 Yorkhouse Road, Waukegan,

Illinois.

(An earlier

petition seeking variance from our sewer ban order entered in

League of Women Voters

v.

North Shore Sanitary District,

#70-7

had been dismissed as moot on March

28,

1972

in view of our blanket

variance entered in North Shore Sanitary District v. Environmental

Protection Agency,

#71—343,

as revised March

2,

1972.)

Subsequent to

the

preparation of plans and specificati~ons,

site preparation and the attaining of financing,

a building permit

was issued on July

22,

1971,

Petitioner represents

that because of

the likelihood of increasing costs and the necessity of re-designing

of plans, construction was undertaken immediately, which precluded

the need for modification

of the structure and resulting curtailment

in growth of the congregation that would ensue from a postponement.

It

appears that the structure has been virtually completed and will

be ready for occupancy,

assuming sewer connection is authorized.

Human waste will be discharged from the new structure substan-

tially in the same amount as presently being discharged from the

existing church building.

The existing church building has been

sold on contract to the architect for office use, who presently

occupies an office

in

Waukegan employing seven people.

The petition represents that the present church structure is

outmoded and inadequate and unsuitable for use for religious services

5

51

---

in its present condition.

It does not offer suitable parking and

in its outmoded condition is not conducive to the

growth

of

the

congregation.

Petitioner~scongregation consists of seventy—five

families

in the Waukegan community,

and petitioner represents that

denial of a sewer permit will produce an arbitrary and unreasonable

hardship on the adults and children who attend the church and cthrch

school,

and

who

rely

on its existence for the satisfaction of religious

needs,

as

well

as

financial

loss

to

the

congregation

resulting

from

its

inability

to

use

the

newly

constructed

facilities.

The

Environmental

Protection

Agency

has

recommended

that

the

variance

be

granted

subject

to

the

condition

that

petitioner

°~tain

one

of the connection permits previously authorized

to the North

Shore Sanitary District for the Waukegan sewage treatment plant,

pursuant to our order in North Shore Sanitary District v. Environ-

mental Protection Agency,

#71—343,(Supra~,) The recommendation note.

that the church building will he limited in use to approximately six

hours per week, over

a three-day period,

and the facilities will be

used only by church members while away from their homes.

The Agency

concludes that the increased waste load resulting from this connection

will not be significant.

We

believe

the hardship

on

the

congregation

resulting

from a

denial

of

the

variance

outweighs

the

detriment

resulting

to

the

community

from

the

slight

increased

load

on

the

North

Shore

Sanitary

District

faci1ities~

Cf~.,

Congregation

Am

Echod

v,

Environmental

Protection

Agency,

#72-202,

Order

dated

July

18,

1972,

Opinion

dated

July

25,

1972~

This

opinion

constitutes

the

findinqs

of

fact

and

conclusions

of

law

of

the

BoardS

IT

IS

THE

ORDER

of

the

Pollution

Control

Board

that

Central

Christian

Church

he

granted

a

variance

to

connect

its

church

struc-

ture

at 1400 Yorkhouse Road,

Waukegan,

Illinois,

to facilities

tribu-~

tary to the

North

Shore

Sanitary

District upon condition that the

District grant to petitioner a connection permit as authorized in

North Shore Sanitary District v. Environmental Protection Agency,

#71—343,

as revised March

2,

1972, which permit the Board does hereby

authorize.

I, Christan Moffett,

Clerk of the Illinois Pollution

Control

Board,

certify

that

the

above

Opinion

was adopted on the ~

of

July,

1972 by

a

vote

of

4—0.

~

/77 :~/~

—2—

5