TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF MAY 20, 2010
COMMITTEE ON INDUSTRIAL WASTE & WATER POLLUTION
Mr. Richard Lanyon, Executive Director
Title
Authority for the Board of Commissioners to Approve a Site Specific Variance from the Environmental Remediation Wastewater Ordinance for McCook Industrial Center II Site (Deferred from the May 6, 2010 Board Meeting)
Body
Dear Sir:
CenterPoint Properties (CenterPoint) is planning remediation activities to support future construction and redevelopment of the McCook Industrial Center II site located at 4900 South First Avenue, McCook, Illinois. This site was formerly operated by Reynolds Aluminum and then by McCook Metals, LLC. Both companies manufactured aluminum products.
CenterPoint is seeking approval from the District to discharge environmental remediation wastewater in connection with the planned site work. Before discharging any water to the District, and as set forth in the documentation submitted to the District, CenterPoint intends to treat all water to remove contaminants such as residual oils and organic compounds and comply with all the provisions of the Environmental Remediation Wastewater (ERW) Ordinance.
Article III, Section 3 of the ERW Ordinance prohibits the proposed discharge of environmental remediation wastewater because the site is located in a separately-sewered area. However, the property is on the border of the combined sewer area and the use of the stormwater drainage infrastructure in the separate sewer area would not be environmentally desirable. A similar request for this site was addressed by the Board in January 2004.
The Special Discharge Authorization Request (SDAR) submitted to the District by Carlson Environmental, Inc., on behalf of CenterPoint, is in conformance with the ERW Ordinance with the exception of the proposed discharge being in a separate sewer area. The proposed wastewater will be pretreated and discharged at a controlled flow rate to an on-site sanitary sewer. The SDAR includes a Certification of Acceptance by Local Authority signed by the Mayor of the Village of McCook, stating that the separate sewer system to which this project will be tributary has adequate reserve capacity to transport the wastewater that will be added and that the operation of the project, as characterized by the SDAR, is in conformance with all regulatory requirements of the unit of local government which has jurisdictional authority over the aforementioned property.
A Sewerage System Permit is not required for this project by the Sewer Permit Ordinance since neither new sewers nor permanent/long-term facilities will be installed. The discharger will be required to comply with all the provisions of the ERW Ordinance. The discharge of ERW within 24 hours of a rain event into the sanitary sewer will be prohibited.
In order to facilitate the redevelopment of the site, CenterPoint has requested a site specific variance from the ERW Ordinance to allow the discharge of environmental remediation wastewater from the property to the District’s sanitary sewer in a separately sewered area. It is our opinion that this request is reasonable.
Therefore, the Director of Monitoring and Research respectfully requests that the Board of Commissioners approves the request for a variance from the ERW Ordinance for CenterPoint Properties.
Requested, Louis Kollias, Director of Monitoring and Research, LK:TG:MJ:TMD:FWB:js
Recommended, Frederick M. Feldman, General Counsel
Respectfully Submitted, Patricia Horton, Chairman Committee on Industrial Waste & Water Pollution
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for May 20, 2010