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RECEIVED

CLERK’S OFFICE

•

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.

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