ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
Nlarch 2,
1972
PFANSTIEHL LABORATORIES
v.
)
PCB 72—37
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
CHARLES STONE
v.
)
PCB 72—42
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
OPINION OF THE BOARD (by Mr. Kissel):
These two cases involve requests for variances from Para-
graph 7 of the March 31, 1971 order of the Board in the North
Shore Sanitary District case. League of Women Voters, et al
v. North Shore Sanitary District, PCB 70-7, 12, 13 and 14,
opinion dated March 31, 1971. In the Pfanstiehl case (PCB72—37)
the verified petition details that Pfanstiehl made repairs to
its sewer discharge lines and completed them in December of
1970. Subsequently, (November, 1971) it was discovered that
the sewer contractor had connected one of the discharge lines
to the storm, not the sanitary, sewer line. Upon discovery,
the City of Waukegan (the city in which the Pfanstiehl plant
is located) directed Pfanstiehl to discontinue discharging water
into the storm sewer. This re—connection was done; however,
on inspection the Agency advised Pfanstiehl that since this was
an additional discharge to the sanitary sewer system since
March 31, 1971, Pfanstiehl would have to apply for a variance
from the Board’s order previously referred to.
In the Stone case (PCB 72-42) the petition verifies that he
owned and resided in a single family dwelling unit in Waukegan,
and has resided in that home for the last 30 years. On December
19, 1971, the house burned to such a degree that it was uninhabit-
able, and to date the sanitary sewer has not been used. Mr. Stone
now seeks to use the sanitary sewer (apparently repairs to the
house have been completed to make it habitable again) but has been
told that this is a new connection and,therefore, a variance must
be granted by the Board from the aforesaid March 31 order.
3
—
719
Both cases present basically the same fact situation. In
each case the petitioners were using the sanitary sewer prior
to the March 31, 1971 order, but for an explainable reason the
sewer use was discontinued
-—
jn the Pfanstiehl case because of
the connection to the storm sewer, and in the Stone case because
of the
fire. Nhile the order of March
31 prevented additions
to old connections, as well as new connections,. we do not feel
that the intent of the order was to exclude connections for
those who had been using the system, and for an explainable
reason, discontinued use, and then merely wanted to reconnect
to the sewer system.
The variances therefore will be granted.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Pollution Control Boa,r~,
certify that the above Opinion and Orde,r was adopted on this .~
‘~‘
day of March
1972, by a vote of q—(.j
Christan L. Moff t
Clerk of the Boar
3
—
720