December IS, 2006
Deputy Clerk John Therriault
Illinois Pollution Control Board
James R . Thompson Center
100 W . Randolph, Ste 11-500
Chicago, IL 60601
Re
: PCB 06-171 American Bottom Conservancy v . IEPA & US Steel
Dear Mr . Therriault :
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I
strongly
urge the Board to rule that Illinois Environmental Protection Agency should have held a
hearing on the permit to allow Granite City Steel to discharge some 25 million gallons of
wastewater per day; including heavy metals and other toxins, into Horseshoe Lake-an oxbow lake
formed by the Mississippi River in the Great American Bottom .
There are so many reasons to hold a hearing in this case . The lake is pan of Horseshoe Lake State
Park, visited by more than 350,000 people a year, according to the Illinois Department of Natural
Resources, which manages the lake . People picnic at the lake ; they fish, hunt, boat and bike at the
lake
. People walk their dogs, allowing them to drink from the lake . It is a treasure trove of wildlife
species, 308 species of birds alone, more than any place in the Greater St
. Louis area
.
All of those are important reasons to hold a hearing on this NPDES permit . But perhaps the most
important reason of all is that there are people who rely on fish caught from the lake as their main
source of protein-subsistence fishers . I have talked to many while they are fishing-asking them
about the fish they catch, whether or not they eat them, and what they do when they catch fish with
"bad spots," which look like pictures of fish with melanoma .
The answers would break your heart: "It depends on how many fish 1 caught that day
. Sometimes I
throw them back, sometimes I cut around the bad spots, and sometimes, well,
. . . ."
People need to
feed their families.
This is a state park where fishing is promoted
. The lake does not meet federal water quality
standards for zinc, phosphorus, pH, total suspended solids, heptachlor, polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs), andammonia
. The lake has high levels of zinc, lead and cadmium in the sediment
. Even
some of GCSteel's sewage is discharged into the lake
. There is an Illinois Department of Public
Health fish advisory about mercury
.
But there are no signs at Horseshoe Lake warning the public
against eating fish from the lake, especially young children and women of childbearing age
.
It is essential that the State protect our most vulnerable citizens
. It is essential to have a public
hearing in this matter . Thank you for your consideration of my comments
.
Sincerely,
Kathy Andria
P.O
. Box 4242
Fairview Heights, IL 62208
Washington University School of Law
Campus Box 1120
One Brooldngs Drive
St. Louis . MO 631304899
11MO
disoiplifary
,
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Envi
onmental Clink
-'LEAK,';
OFFICE
Pollution
STATE OF
Control
ILLINOISBoard
To :
IPCB 312
.814-3669
From :
Ted Helsel
Fax:
Pages
: 5
Phone:
Date : 12/18/2006
Re :
Public Comment In PCB 06-171
CC:
0 Urgent
0 For Review
O Please Comment
O Please Reply
0 Please Recycle
•
Comments :
See attached
