November29, 2004

Illinois Pollution

Control

Board

600

S.

Second Street,

Suite 402

Springfield, IL

6704

CLERK’S OFFICE

DEC 10 2004

12—10—04; 3:28PM

2177528608;# 3

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Froni—~OLLUTION~CONTROL

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northeastern Illinois planning commission

222

South

Riverside

Plaza

•

Suite 1200

•

Chicago, Illinois 60605.• (3121 a5a-04~0 Fax (312) 4~4-V1L11

•

Pollution Control Boar

Re:

Support of Proposed Phosphorus

Regtdafions

Dear

SirlMadam:

As

Executive Director of The NortheasternBhrwis Planning Cornirussion

I am

submithrig the

following ~nsupport of

the

proposed

phosphorus

regulations.

A

proposal~bythe

Illinois EPA

now before the

~Jlimois Pollution ControJ

BoaId.

wotUd

limit

phosphorus levels ‘toP I

rng/L

in any

case wbe~ea

ne.w

~di~ch~r~e

ispropc~d’s~thicI~ou1ddi

geat~east

one

lthri~’gáI1oiispe~

Uay:(a~

ttigL:limit

e~nsthat:ea~Iklitez~of~water

discharged

by a polluter can only

contain a maumun~of~

mg of

phosphoru~)

This

proposal, if

adopted by the

Board, will

reduce

algae and bacteria

growth

that ~lls fish and. other wildlife and can

turn

waters

into green

slime

that is

undesirable forswimming

or other uses. While the proposal

to limit

new or thcreased soi.~rcesof

phosphorus

is very modest,

Lt

represents the first

reaL

requijrement

to

reduce

phosphOrus

for

discharg~

to streams in

Illinois.

Curre4ly only

discharges to lakes

and’

‘L~ibtitariesttc

lakes have

toreduce phosph~rus.

Prairie

Rivers, the

Sierra

Cub, and the

Envirotunental Law

and Policy

Center have been pushing

for

such a limit

for

several

years

and strongly

support IEPA’s proposal.

Based in a thorough review by

NTPC’s Environment arid

Natural

Resources

Department and NIPC’s adopted policies, I

with tO express full

support fot

The IEPA!s propns~ifor an interimmonthly

average.

phcisphorus

effhaerLt

limit of

-1.

mg/L for many new

or.increase~

:~.

clischarge&

.NdtDrLly

is.it good .gorwater quality.

but-it.is cons~stentwith

and

reqi

r~d.unde~current

1aw~

ari~dregulations..

EXECIJIIVE COMMI1TEE

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---

12—lo—04; 3:28pM

2177528508;#

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From—POLLUTION CONTROL

5UAI~U

Z11

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T—96B

P.004/004

F—~0

As

you are aware,

the

Clean

Water

Act and Illinois law

require that

NPDES permits control pollutants

that may

cause

or

contribute

to

-

violations ofwater quality standards. It

also prohibits allowing

new

pollution

that has

not

been

shown to be necessary.

Therefore, limits on

the di~charge

of

phosphorus are needed

to

prevent

violations of

Illinois

water quality standards and

comply

with aiitidegradation requirements.

The Commissions also feels that controls ar~needed to preventviolations

of thewater quality

standards

regarding offensive

conditions,

pH

and

dissolved

oxygen.

As the

Agency’s

proposal is

limited

to new or increased discharges,

such

~

~iIrea

sub

Ltdd~’Hnr

u1at~nii~

Undex.tl~ri

antidegradation regulations, lowering

of water quality should only be

allowed if it can be demonstrated through a

consideration

of

alternatives

and

economic

analysis that

it is necessaxy to accommodateimportant

economic or

social

development.

This

proposal

is good

for

water

quality, and

is achievable, as

demonstrated by the longstariclixig and successful phosphorus limit of I

rng/L established in

the 197CYs for

any

discharges to streams

that

flow to

the Great

Lakes.

I

urge

the Pollution Control Board to adopt the

IliPA1s

proposed

interim

discharge standard forphosphorus

of 1 mg/L.

S

cerel

onald

omas,

Executive

Director

---

12—10—04; 3:28PM ;

.

2177528508;#

2

LJec—1U—Z004 OZ:~pm

~roni—FULLUTIONCOP~T~OLSOARLJ

zj~T~~5U~

CLERK’S OFFICE

DEC 1.0 2004

PollutionSTATE

northeastern Illinois planning commission

22~South Riverside Plaza a Suite 18(10 a

Chicago flhin.ois

60606

.

*

www.nipc.org

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FROM:

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—

Fax #:

(3:12)

454-0411

J’hone~:

(312)454-0400

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