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RECEIVED
CLERK’S OFFICE
•
1
DEC 06
2004
i~r.t
Vi11a~eof Mannattan
_______________
MANHATIAN,IncorporatedILLINOISin
1886
245 South State
(._)
Street, P.O. Box 31, Manhattan, Illinois
60442
Pollution Control Boar
Phone: (815) 478-3483
•
Fax: (815) 478-5103
December 1, 2004
Ms. Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control Board
James R. Thompson Center
100 West Randolph Street
Suite 11-5000
Chicago, 1L60601
RE:
Docket No. R-04-021
Revisions to Radium Water Quality Standards
Dear Ms Gunn
I appreciate the opportunity to provide comments to the Illinois Pollution Control Board
~thjs iinpditthitisstietb ~ut’cöni~athity~.the ViI1d~eofManhattan present population
is a community of5,000 residents located ~n.Squthern Will. County. The Village is
currently expenencing a large influx ofnew developmentwhich projects the population
to grow to over 30,000 within the next, five to ten years The public water supply at this
time has two deep wells and two shallow wells with a annual daily pump age of30,000
gallons. The purposed developments within the Village have additional wells and
treatment to be installed to support the increase ofdemand to the water system.
The current wastewater plant discharges into Manhattan Creek and has been domg so
since the 1960’s Manhattan has also been praised by environmental groups for its efforts
in the restoration ofManhattan Creek, as noted in a recent issue ofthe Star Newspaper by
the Chief Executive Officer ofThe Conservation Foundation, “Here’s this little town of
Manhattan, and theyhave the best stream protection ordinance.” The Village of
Manhattan has worked with conservation groups on establishing effluent limits pertaining
to orthophosphate that therewill be no increase to the annual average after the present
expansion at the current wastewaterplant. The Village has also proposed to adhere to
these limits at any future wastewaterplants within the Village
The Village ofManhattan supports the EPA proposal to allow the current practice
di~ehä~ging~radiümefflü~iit.The Village is âlwa~’sopen ‘to cornthuiiicate with the EPA
or any group concerned with environmental issues. The EPA, water supply, and
wastewãter planth have worked with EPA regulations and have always been based on
science and not by a company’s interest in fmancial gains. The Village ofManhattan
supports the EPA proposal to allow the current practice discharging radium effluent.
Radium is already being discharged to Illinois streams formany years with no effect to
plant and wildlife. The EPA proposal of a no increase ofradium would result in
establishing a numerical standard to radium effluents. The EPA proposal has been
libeled in some recent news articles that establishing the numerical standard would
actually increase the amount ofradium discharge from wastewater plants. This
numerical standard would respond to Illinois residents that there would be additional
pollution. The radium influent, effluent and the handling ofbiosolids has not
demonstrated to be any risk to workers at wastewater plants. The Village ofManhattan is
faced with the cost of implementing the new drinking water standards and wastewater
standards which have been established over the years ofstudying the science ofwater and
wastewater. The establishment of standards that eliminate radium in effluent discharges
would increase cOst oftreatment dramatiôally without additional positive impact to the
environment.
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The Village ofManhattan would again like to thank you for allowing the Village to
comment on this very important issue. I believe that we have made some sound and
strong points and looking forward to the decision.
Sincerely,
• James M. Doyle
William L. Liszka
Village President
Superintendent ofStreets and Utilities
L