ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

December 7, 2006

IN THE MATTER OF:

PROPOSED EXTENSION OF ADJUSTED

STANDARD APPLICABLE TO ILLINOIS-

AMERICAN WATER COMPANY’S ALTON

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY FACILITY

DISCHARGE TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

UNDER 35 ILL. ADM. CODE 304.124,

304.106, AND 302.203

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AS 07-2

(Adjusted Standard - Land)

ORDER OF THE BOARD (by N.J. Melas):

Illinois-American Water Company (Illinois-American) seeks an extension of an existing

adjusted standard applicable to Illinois-American’s public water supply treatment facility in

Alton, Illinois (Alton facility).

In re

Petition of Illinois-American Water Company's Alton

Public Water Supply Replacement Facility Discharge to the Mississippi River for Adjusted

Standard From 35 Ill. Adm. Code 304.124, 304.106, and 302.203, AS 99-6 (Oct. 19, 2000).

Petition of Illinois-American, AS 99-6, scheduled to expire on October 16, 2007, provides that

the effluent standards for offensive discharges, total suspended solids (TSS), and total iron do not

apply to the discharges from the Alton facility.

See

35 Ill. Adm. Code 304.106, 304.124. Also

pursuant to Petition of Illinois-American, AS 99-6, the general use water quality standard for

offensive discharges shall not apply to a one-mile stretch of the Mississippi River that receives

effluent from the Alton facility and is immediately downstream from the Alton facility’s

discharge.

See

35 Ill. Adm. Code 304.203.

Illinois-American petitioned the Board for AS 99-6 so that it could implement a sediment

reduction project in the Piasa Creek watershed (Piasa Creek Watershed Project). Illinois-

American states the project was expected to reduce soil loading into the Mississippi River by two

tons for every ton of solids in the Alton facility’s effluent. In granting the petition, the Board

required Illinois-American to assess the effectiveness of the project at the five-year mark

(October, 2005), and imposed a seven-year sunset provision in case the project failed to meet

expectations. Illinois-American states that the project has already achieved its goal, saving 6,600

tons of soil, four years ahead of schedule. In fact, states Illinois-American, the project has won

awards and exceeded its goals in reducing total iron loading from the Piasa Creek watershed.

For these reasons, in this petition Illinois-American asks the Board to extend the current adjusted

standard indefinitely.

Along with the petition for an adjusted standard, Illinois-American also filed a motion to

incorporate by reference both the petition for adjusted standard and a site-specific impact study

filed in Petition of Illinois-American, AS 99-6. For the reasons set forth below, the Board grants

Illinois-American’s motion to incorporate.

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