00741
ASSESSMENT OF
PxEGION 5
905R82001
Environmental Planning
February 22, 1982
Meeti
-------
3HIEFING
STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT - REGION V
THE MIDWEST
Presented at Region V
Senior Management Retreat
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
February 22, 1982
Introduction
We begin with a satellite view of the earth, not because we are going 1 - Earth
to address world pollution problems, but rather because it affords us
an opportunity to present a concept that was conceived a few years
back by a previous administrator — that is the view of the world,
and our pollution problems, as a biosphere. The biosphere concept is
useful to us here as a way to put into proper perspective the connec-
tion between the air, water and waste and the fact that we need to
think of the others as we address concerns in any one media. If we
want to dredge the Chicago River, we must now be acutely aware of
organic contamination of the dredged material so that, eg., it is
placed in a secure landfill and does not become a source of pollution
at that landfill. Building incinerators with tall stacks may ade-
quately handle the sludge disposal problem at Detroit, but what about
the resulting air pollution. And as we bring on line more secondary,
advanced secondary, and AWT facilities, how do we ensure that the re-
sulting increased amount of sludge, sometimes contaminated, is prop-
erly disposed of? In East Chicago, the solids have been recycled
through the facility and discharged to the river. That situation
has recently improved.
But the point is, we are now much more keenly aware of the intermedia 2 -
impacts of pollutants. We talk in terms of fate of pollutants, path-
ways to exposure, population at risk, etc. The problem in putting
together a total, if you will, waste disposal "manifest", for the
biosphere, are the differences amongst the many environmental pro-
grams in terms of program maturity, the unique aspects of each
medium, the ability to monitor cause/effect relationships, our desire
to do so, etc.
It may be useful to digress just a moment to talk conceptually.
Whatever the program, there are a series of levels that we move
through. We can think of those levels as a continuum. At the one
end of the continuum, we have actions taken by the programs, be
it an enforcement order, issuing a permit, awarding a grant, or
whatever. That action begets, hopefully, installation of pollution
equipment at the next level, which results in reductions observed
A Sourc
Types
&NBru'?nmerrtaf Pr°tection Agency
Si1}?0 Ljbrary Collection (PL-12J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, It 60604-3590'
-------
-2-
in source/emission monitoring. Those source reductions precede an «
ambient environmental impact, measured by our monitoring systems *
as standard exceedances/ violations. Beyond this level, we are
interested in the effect on flora and fauna and, ultimately, the
effect on human health and welfare as the furthest extreme on the
continuum.
The further away you move from the program action end of the con-
tinuum, the more difficult it becomes to relate cause and effect.
It is often extremely difficult to relate program actions to human
health effects. The programs that we conduct are at various levels
on this continuum of environmental accountability. The programs
furthest along, somewhere at the ambient effects stage, are the
Great Lakes, Air and Water Programs. None of the waste programs
have reached this level eg. , there is no ambient land monitoring
network. At this point, depending on the program, we can only
measure program actions, or assess the magnitude of contamination
cleaned up on a case by case basis.
I went through that conceptual discussion to better explain what
this presentation will cover. It is essentially the genesis of the
task we faced in preparing for this presentation. We can perhaps
talk about ambient air and water data, the latter both in stream and
for the Great Lakes, and somehow attempt to tie our efforts to im-
provements. But what do you do with waste? There is no ambient land
monitoring program. What does it mean to decertify a pesticide; to
remove asbestos from a grade school; to permit a PCB distruction
operation; to provide Interim Status Standards to allow a hazardous
waste facility to continue operating; or to clean up an abandoned
hazardous waste site having actually or even potentially degraded
groundwater or surface waters.
The fact is that much of our activities are largely inferential,
that is, we perceive the grossness of the overall problem, we take
specfic actions, and we measure our success primarily by those suc-
cess stories. And that is essentially what we have prepared for
this presentation, which by the way results from a paring down of an
awful lot of relevant material provided by the program staff. I must
explain that not all of the most significant accomplishments will be
discussed. The driving thrust behind this is actual environmental
accomplishment that we can see, taste, and smell.
Our approach here is to provide a general discussion of where we are, 3 - Region
environmentally for each medium moving within each from the general
to the specific, but always focusing upon regional concerns, and sig-
nificant trends. I'll cover Air, Water (the Great Lakes as a unique
and important aspect of the Water Medium) and Waste Programs. We
-------
-3-
will provide general information to give you a perspective on the
current environmental quality, where we have the institutional abil-
ity to do so (ie. , air and water), and then focus on specific stories
where our activities have resulted in environmental clean up — suc-
cess stories. I'll conclude with a presentation on the Chicago
metropolitan area that I hope will be of interest to you, not only
fron the standpoint of your program accomplishments in this geo-
graphic area, but most importantly, as local residents whose lives
and families are directly affected by pollution in this area. 1 do
want to caution you that the length and detail of any individual
medium presentation reflects more where we are on the measurement
continuum, than on the amount of work and success you have accomp-
lished for the individual medium.
-------
-4-
THE GREAT LAKES
For more than a century, many of the Midwest's largest and most sue- 4 - Great
cessful cities and industries have depended on the fresh water of Lakes
the Great Lakes as a vital element in their growth. In return,
billions of gallons of sewage and Industrial and agricultural chem-
icals have been discharged into these lakes because it was the most
economic and convenient way to dispose of the wastes. These dis-
charges have prematurely aged portions of the lakes, caused fish
kills and forced closings of many bathing beaches. Because the
lakes act in many respects as a closed system - less than 1% of the
pollutants entering the Great Lakes system leave the St. Lawrence in
any single year — they are an especially sensitive indicator of the
effectiveness of environmental protection programs, as the accumu-
lated pollutants often show their first effects (particularly chronic
effects) in this vast interconnected lake system. Furthermore, since
the Great Lakes basin includes more than 40% of the population, land
areas and rivers in Region V, the responses of the lakes are a sig-
nificant indicator of the success of remedial programs in place in
the Region.
Shown is a summary of the trophic status of the laurentian Great
Lakes. Problem areas are most evident in Green Bay, Saginaw Bay,
Western Lake Erie and portions of Lake Ontario. Additional problem
areas are generally found in the more shallow waters (shoreline of
Lake Michigan, most of Lake Erie and the southeastern shoreline of
Lake Ontario).
While in the early 70 's, the condition of Lake Erie became noto-
rious, parts of Lake Michigan, Huron and Ontario were also becoming
seriously polluted. Although problems are less severe in Lake
Superior and northern Lake Huron, even these bodies of water have
some pollution problems. For years, the tailings from taconite
processing near Silver Bay, Minnesota were dumped into Lake Superior
eventually leading to contamination of the Duluth water supply with
asbestos like fibers. Dumping of the tailings ceased in April, 1980
as a result of a court order to initiate land disposal. However,
the Duluth water supply is still being filtered prior to use.
Analysis by the Duluth lab confirms the need for this.
However, the seriousness of the lake problems crystalize in Lake 6-6 time
Erie. The next slide depicts a 47 year history of oxygen depletion views
in the lake. The rapidly deteriorating condition of the lake began
to turn around after 1973. It was at this time that a concerted
EPA, State and Canadian effort to halt pollution to the lake was
initiated. In the most severely polluted lakes — Erie, Ontario
5 - Summary
Tropic
Status
-------
-5-
anc Michigan, major pollution ills still exist, but progress is being
ro^H.?. More than 5.25 billion dollars has been spent by EPA and the
States in the last decade to help clean up the Great Lakes. Addi-
tional monies have been spent by local governments and industries in
this effort.
The environmental impact of this concerted effort is, perhaps, no-
where more obvious than in the news article on the Lake Erie commer-
cial fisherman who was quoted as stating that the 1981 season was
the best sports fishing that he had seen in 29 years.
A 1978 survey of people who live and work along the lakes found that
nearly all of them noted visual improvements in the lakes. Recrea-
tion industries — boating and vacation resorts in addition to sports
fishing - have been very active and several beaches long closed to
swimmers have been re-opened. A survey on beach closings during 1980
is reported in the next slide. Of 520 beaches surveyed, 64 were par-
tially closed or had restricted use because of degraded water quality.
Beaches reported in the survey included all public beaches and many
private beaches. Caution should be used in drawing conclusions on
water quality based on coliform counts. The information is presented
to illustrate impact of water quality on recreation.
Two of the significant problems, eutrophication and
will now be discussed in more detail.
A. Eutrophication
contaminants,
Programs to control eutrophication through control of phosphorus
inputs, particularly in the lower lakes, have been the corner-
stone of the joint Canadian American agreement over the long
term. The lakes have responded to these control programs in the
following manner.
Efforts to remove phosphorus at major municipal treatment facil-
ities in the Lower Lakes Basin has resulted in the virtual
achievement of an average phosphorus effluent limitation of 1.0
mg/1 at each facility. This constitutes the achievement of a
major milestone for phosphorus control and is best illustrated
in municipal loadings to Lake Erie. This achievement has come
about because some of the largest plants that were formerly not
expected to achieve this goal until 1986 - for example, Detroit -
have advanced their phosphorus removal schedule and are now
achieving their goal. The result is that total and soluble
phosphorus concentrations declined significantly in the Detroit
River between 1968 and 1979. Total phosphorus loads to Lake
Erie were reduced from over 90,000 kg/day in 1968 to approxi-
mately 14,000 kg/day in 1979 (a decrease of 84%) due largely to
the implementation of the phosphorus control programs in Detroit.
7 - Beach
Closing;
8 -
Lake
Erie P
9 -
Detroit
WWTP P
-------
-6-
Correlated with these phosphorus loading reductions, there have
been possible species change in the phytoplankton of Lake Erie,
as oligotrophic indicator species have becotne more abundant, 10 -
while populations of eutrophic species of plankton have declined.
Programs to limit discharge of phosphorus to 1 mg/1 at municipal
plants in the Upper Lakes are also underway. Significant de-
clines of municipal phosphorus discharges into all three upper
lakes have been observed. But a number of facilities on Lake
Michigan have not yet achieved the desired level of phosphorus
removal. When these facilities achieve 1.0 mg/1 effluent limi-
tation, further significant reductions in phosphorus loads to
the lake will be effected.
When municipal point source control programs are completely in
place, municipal inputs will contribute only 20% of the phos-
phorus load to the Lake Erie Basin, while nonpoint sources,
primarily from agricultural land in the western basin of Lake
Erie, will account for 60% of the phosphorus input.
B. CONTAMINANTS
Contamination of the Great Lakes by persistent toxic substances
of anthropogenic origin currently represents the major environ-
mental problem in the basin. With a history of commercial
fishery bans, health advisories and the continued identification
of new compounds in the Great Lakes, there is ample support for
these concerns.
Until recently no major implications on human health were di-
rectly related to the water quality of the Great Lakes. However,
current research indicates a direct linear correlation between
PCB contanination in Lake Michigan fish and levels of PCBs in
the blood of sport fishing families in the 18 Michigan counties
bordering Lake Michigan.
Restrictions or bans on the use or manufacture of chemicals
deemed to represent environmental hazards are the major remedial
efforts of Canada and the United States. Both countries are de-
veloping legislative controls. As many of the toxics problems
encountered to date are historic in nature, control of human ex-
posure to these materials has resulted in many restrictions on
sport fisheries and bans on commercial fisheries.
Most organic contaminants, because of their diffuse atmospheric
input and because of their persistence, have become basinwide
problems. Because of the widespread usage of pesticides, such
as DDT and herbicides, and organochlorines such as PCB, there
-------
-7-
is a strong tendency for these contaminants to cause systemwide
piubifciiis. For example, in 1978 the Water Quality board notified
the International Joint Commission of the presence of dioxin in
fis'a in Saginaw Bay. Follow-up studies examining dioxin levels
in the eggs of herring gulls found dioxin levels between 9-14
nanograms/kg. in Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie and Michigan. Ele-
vated levels were found in eggs from gull colonies in Saginaw
Bay and from colonies throughout Lake Ontario. As shown on this
slide, these elevated levels are considered to be the result of
historic releases in that dioxin levels in Lake Ontario herring
gulls have decreased from more than 700 nanograms/kg in 1971
to 68 nanograms/kg in 1980. General indications of declines of
PCB, DDT and DDE have also been found in fish and gull popula-
tions throughout the basin, indicative of decreased exposure of
the biological community.
There has been a substantial decrease in the concentrations of
organochlorine residues in a variety of species of small fish of
Lakes Ontario and Erie. Declines in PCB concentrations have
ranged between 22% and 89% in Lake Ontario fish samples. The
general nature of this decrease in a variety of fish species
implies a decrease in input of organochlorides to the system.
Similarly PCB, DDT and mirex residues declined in herring gull
eggs from both lower lakes during 1979. Declines are also re-
ported for Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, although declines in
Lake Superior were not as significant as in the other lakes.
These declines also represent decreased inputs of contaminants
to the Great Lakes.
Sediments are a natural historic data bank, representing past
and present conditions of the Great Lakes. Generally speaking
the highest levels of organic contaminants are found in the top
few centimeters of the surfaces. Sediment organic contaminent
concentrations, particularly PCBs and DDTs, tended to increase
up to 1974-76. They have generally decreased since then due to
imposition of manufacturing bans.
Metals of concern in the Great Lakes are primarily those which
can bioaccumulate. They represent a potential threat to human
health and the general ecological community. Mercury, tin, cad-
mium, copper, zinc and lead are the primary concerns for whole
lake problems because of elevated levels and/or the ability to
bioaccumulate. As shown in the next slide, the major routes of
metals entering the Great Lakes are reported to be from loadings
from rivers, streams and erosion which were found to be more
significant than from point sources.
11 - Dioxin
in
Herring
12 - Trace
Elements
-------
-8-
WATER QUALITY
To illustrate the current quality of our review and streams, four of
the traditional water parameters will be discussed. These are bac-
teria, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus and inorganic toxics (metals).
These parameters were selected because of the availability of both
historic and current data in STORET as well as being important para-
meters in judging stream quality. Bacteria and dissolved oxygen tell
us the usefulness of the streams and whether the streams are alive or
not. Inorganics (as well as organics) are of current interest across
all media; especially as related to waste disposal sites. Phosphorus
is of continuing interest in this Region, particularly with respect
to the Great Lakes.
The current status of each parameter will be displayed graphically
using a slide based on 1978 data. These data were used in the 1979
Environmental Profile. Using 1980 data, I will update the slides
verbally to give you the general current status of each parameter and
will highlight significant changes in water quality where they are
indictated.
Since the data base was not as well developed in 1978 some subjec-
tive judgement was used based on the States input for the 1979
Environmental Profile. As the use of STORET has expanded since 1978
the current data gives us a more accurate picture of stream quality.
The first parameter is bacteria. The bacteria levels improved gen-
erally in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota streams from 78 to 80.
In Illinois only the Chicago and Calumet Rivers remain unimproved.
The most significant change in Michigan is the Grand River upstream
of Jackson, which has gone from poor to good water quality. The
Flint River has also shown significant improvement East of Flint.
The one deteriorating stream is the Clinton River. In Minnesota
generally improving water quality with respect to bacteria is seen.
The most notable improvement is the Mississippi except at the Twin
Cities where it remains poor.
Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin show that we have either no change or
deteriorating water quality with respect to bacteria as follows:
Portions of the Kankakee, White and Maumee Rivers in Indiana all show
deteriorating conditions.
The slide you've been viewing shows all profiled rivers in Ohio to be
poor water quality with respect to bacteria. The 1980 data indicates
that there is NO change in those conditions.
I
13 - General
WQ
14 - BacterL
-------
-9-
Wisconsin lacks 1980 data in STORET for several rivers. However the
lQ?n data for the Black, Wisconsin, Fox and Oconto Rivers which is
in STORHT shows generally deteriorating conditions. The Mississippi,
Rock and Sheboygan remain unchanged.
We can now move on to discuss the Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) status for
1930. The slide again shows the 1978 data. The 1980 data shows 1m- 15 - D.O.
proveaents in the concentrations of D.O. throughout most States in
the Region. Illinois had significant exceedances of the D.O. cri-
teria on the Sangamon below Decatur but it improved above Decatur.
The Mississippi showed severe and frequent exceedances of D.O. at
several stations and the Kaskaskia displayed some isolated problems.
In Indiana the good water quality with respect to D.O. showed little
change in 1980.
For Michigan we show no change in the basically good water quality
denoted by the blue color with two exceptions. Data recorded for
1980 showed a couple of D.O. exceedances on the Tittabawasee above
Midland, and, downstream of Owosso on the Shiawassee. Improvements
were indicated on the Kalamazoo, on the Grand River except above and
below Jackson, Michigan, and on the Flint River.
The water quality in Minnesota and Wisconsin with respect to D.O.
remains good, with significant improvement on the Wisconsin River.
1980 data also showed improvement in the rivers of Southern Ohio.
Improvements occurred on the Scioto River; the Gt. Miami, Little
Miami and Muskingum River. The Mahoning and Maumee Rivers both
deteriorated to poor water quality.
Phosphorus levels are depicted in the next slide. In 1978 we lacked 16 - Phos-
phosphorus data for many rivers in Illinois and Indiana. The current phorus
data for Illinois rivers shows that the water quality is fair to poor
in the Illinois, Fox and DesPlaines Rivers. We do show some improve-
ment in the Sangamon and Kaskaskia Rivers from 1978 data.
The 1980 Indiana data on the major streams shows the quality as fair.
The exceptions occur on the Kankakee River in Lake County. The ex-
ceedances at this downstream station reflect poor water quality. The
Kankakee River receives very few wastewater discharges, therefore the
high exceedances for phosphorus can probably be attributed to agricul-
ture runoff. The East Fork of the White River in Lawrence County
shows very high phosphorus exceedances which is also probably due to
agricultural runoff.
Michigan data for 1980 clearly shows improvements in total phosphorus.
The most significant improvement is the Detroit River but we also see
improvements in the Kalamazoo and the Grand River.
-------
-10-
In Minnesota we see a decline in water quality for phosphorus in por-
tions of the Red River, the Mississippi, near the mid point of the
upper Mississippi Basin at the Twin Cities, and the Cannon River.
The quality change is from good to fair in all instances and can
probably be attributed to urban runoff, combined sewer overflows and
point source discharges.
Ohio continues to show high phosphorus concentrations throughout the
State with one notable exception being some improvement in portions
of the Great Miami River.
Wisconsin streams generally remain rated as good water quality for
phosphorus.
The fourth pollutant is inorganic toxicants. The metals considered
are arsenic, cadmium, copper, chromium, lead, mercury and zinc. The
water quality based on the 1980 data reflects significant changes.
Deteriorating conditions are reflected for the Mississippi River in
Illinois, and Minnesota, especially for exceedances of the mercury
standard. Mercury exceedances were common for other rivers through-
out the Region. These include the Wabash, White, Kankakee and St.
Josephs in Indiana, the Detroit River in Michigan, almost all of the
rivers in Minnesota and the Black, Little Miami and Mahoning Rivers
in Ohio.
The Fox River in Illinois, by contrast, showed no exceedances for any
of these metals and has shown improvement from poor to good.
Other rivers which showed improvement include the Grand River in
Michigan, the Great Miami below Dayton and the Maumee, both in Ohio.
Grand River, Michigan
The Grand River in Michigan showed improvement of all four pollutants.
This reflects a concerted effort on the part of the Regional Office,
the State and the local communities along the river and provides an
interesting success story.
The river has its headwaters in Jackson County and flows north and
west to Lake Michigan at Grand Haven, draining about 400 square miles
of land along the mainstream. Four major communities are situated
along the river: Jackson, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Grand Haven.
Beginning in the 1800s, man's continued impact on the river through
agricultural runoff, municipal and industrial wastewater discharges
and residential development caused degradation until in the 20th cen-
tury many of the high quality aquatic species were replaced by more
pollution tolerant species. By 1970 the area downstream of the
Lansing wastewater treatment plant appeared uninhabitable for nearly
all forms of aquatic life.
17 - Inorgan.
Toxicanl
18 -
North
Lansing
Dam and
Spillwa
-------
-11-
Water quality problems including dissolved oxygen deficits, high total
puospnorus values and elevated suspended solids from combined sewer
overflows, industrial discharges and primary wastewater treatment
discharges had decimated aquatic populations. There were major fish
kills in both 1967 and 1968 from cyanide discharges.
Beginning in 1968 and continuing through today, a combination of fac-
tors, events and people have drastically turned this around. Plans
were developed to upgrade wastewater treatment plants to secondary
treatment. It should be noted that the East Lansing STP received an
OaM award in 1979 and the Grand Rapids STP in 1981.
Ordinances were established to control the discharges of industries,
especially in Grand Rapids. In 1973 and 1974 secondary treatment
plants began to appear in the Basin. By 1974, although bottom sedi-
ments remained polluted with heavy metals, industry had decreased its
discharges of metals by 90 percent. With these measures taken, fish
began to reappear leading to the Izaak Walton League sponsoring a
trout fishing contest.
Now almost every plant along the Grand provides secondary treatment.
As a result, the water quality along the Grand has improved steadily
each year from 1970 until present. Dams and fish ladders have been
built along the river to enhance fish populations. This next slide
shows the fish ladder during construction.
The latest of these activities began in 1977 when five fish passage
ways and support facilities were installed from Lyons to Lansing.
The facilities are now complete. The last facility at Lansing was
dedicated on October 2, 1981. The very next day, a fourteen year old
boy was the first person to catch a salmon at the Lansing Dam - a 17-
pound, 6-ounce Chinook salmon. Improved water quality and structual
modification have made it possible for the Grand River to support
active fishing and other forms of water recreation in the Lansing
area.
19 -
Fish
Ladder
Con-
struct!
20 -
Fish
Ladder
Complet
Grand River, Ohio
Significant improvements have also occurred on the Grand River near
Pa-insville, Ohio.
Fish have returned to the lower Grand River. Local marinas and the
Ohio Department of Natural Resources report fisherman have recently
begun catching salmon, walleye, and small mouth bass in the lower
Grand River. Brown trout have been stocked in the river the past few
years, and are scheduled to begin returning to the river to spawn.
As recently as 1975 the lower Grand River was void of fish. Water
quality in the lower portions of the river was characterized by low
dissolved oxygen and high concentrations of chlorides, dissolved
solids, phenols, cadmium, mercury and lead. Water quality standards
21 - WQS
-------
-12-
were routinely exceeded during low flow periods. The major contribu-
tors to the pollution problems of the Grand River were the Painesville
and Fiarport Harbor STPs, Diamond Shamrock Corporation - Painesville
Works, Clyco Chemicals, Uniroyal Chemical and Calhio Chemicals. Up-
stream of the industrialized areas of Painesville the water quality
was good.
Region V conducted an intensive field investigation of the river in
1973 and subseuqently developed a Waste Load Allocation Report for the
basin in 1974. Implementation of the recommendations and the shut
down of the Diamond Shamrock plant has resulted in a dramatic improve-
ment in stream quality. The slide shows that when the recommended
tertiary treatment plant at Painesville came on-line in 1979, dis-
solved oxygen standard violations downstream of the plant dropped to
zero. Prior to 1979, the minimum standard was violated 10 to 75 days
each summer. It should be noted that Painesville was a candidate for
a Region, U.S. EPA O&M aware in 1981.
Industrial pollutant loadings have been substantially reduced as
treatment has been installed and as process flows were tied into the
adjacent Lake County-Mentor sewage system.
The one remaining threat to a balanced biological community in the
lower Grand River is the continuing leaching of hexavalent chromium
into the river from an abandoned Diamond Shamrock landfill and the
potential threat from other waste sites on Diamond Shamrock property.
The landfills contribution of hexavalent chromium causes gross exceed-
ances in the river's water quality for this pollutant.
Lower Fox River, Wisconsin
The 40 mile stretch of the lower Fox River from Lake Winnebago to
Green Bay as colored coded on the next slide is heavily used for waste
assimilation. Prior to 1975, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Re-
sources determined that even with secondary waste water treatment and
"best practicable treatment" for industries, that it would not be
possible to achieve the desired minimum DO standards on the river.
In 1975 the Fox Valley Water Quality Planning Agency, one of the orig-
inal 208 Agencies was asked to model the river and provide a wasteload
allocation that would meet the Clean Water Act requirements.
Description
There are 14 major dischargers (12 industrial
and 2 municipal) in Clusters I and II of the
Lower Fox River from Neenah/Menasha to Kaukauna.
The yellowed portions of the river are those
areas identified by the QUAL III water quality
model as dissolved oxygen sags. The first and
22 - Grand
River
D.O.
23 - EPA Stai
on Rive
24 -
Major
Dis-
charger
Fox Riv
-------
-13-
last of those areas were the most severe and
resulted In the identification of the clusters
of discharges principally responsible for that
dissolved oxygen deficit. There are five indus-
trial (Pulp and Paper mills) and two municipal
discharges in each cluster.
The Wisconsin Code called for recreational use and fish and aquatic
life in the Fox River. This meant a minimum DO standard of 5 mg/1
would have to be met. At first it was uncertain if the 5 mg/1 DO
standard could be met without causing economic and social hardship.
With the modeling both an economic and social impact study were con-
ducted and resulted in a wasteload allocation based on a minimum 5
mg/1 D.O. that would not pose severe social or economic impacts. By
1977, the majority of industrial dischargers in Wisconsin had met the
BPT deadline. As of 1979 all but one of the pulp and paper mills in
Wisconsin had installed BPT. This level of treatment has resulted in
a 75% reduction in BOD and SS loadings during the past 7 years. These
reductions have occurred despite continued increases in production
during the same time period. During the past 2 years, the Fox River,
except that portion north of Lake Winnebago, has been generally able
to maintain a water quality standard of 5 mg/1 D.O., which was pre-
viously not possible. This change has been brought about primarily
by improved treatment of point source pollution.
Further improvement in water quality flowing into Green Bay occurred
when the Scott Paper Mill closed. Before its pulp mill was closed at
Oconto, Scott Paper was discharging an average of 40,000 Ibs. of BOD
per day. In comparison, all 16 paper mills on the Fox River discharge
a total of 48,000 Ibs. of BOD per day, but produce 20 times the pulp
and 40 times the paper the Scott plant produces. In terms of water
quality, the most significant aspect of this controversial closure
is the dramatic improvement of the Oconto River. This has occurred
during the relatively short period of time following the pulp mill
closure. Since this time, DO levels have risen to water quality
standards (5.0 ppm). In-stream concentration of ammonia nitrogen
and BOD have been reduced to near background levels. Aquatic life is
improving. However, it should be noted that while significant water
quality improvements have been made, problems still exist. The seg-
ment below Oconto Falls still suffers major impacts from the pulp and
paper mill.
The implications of the toxics monitoring completed to date are, per-
haps, best viewed from the. perspective of the priority pollutant
program. In addition to inorganic data presented, this program also,
includes organic data. This program was established to assess the
water, fish and sediment quality for 129 parameters.
25 - Fox
River
D.O.
26 -
Small
boat
(fisher-
man)
-------
-14-
Region V became involved in the Priority Pollution Program as required
by Headquarters through a Consent Decree that was brought apainct EPA
by the National Resources Defense Council. Since that time, thirty
(30) fate, exposure/risk, and dilution studies have been conducted
from various locations throughout the Region (slide showing map of 27 - Map
study locations).
With the exception of isolated areas such as the Grand Calumet River
in Indiana, the overall results of the priority pollutant studies have
shown less severe toxicity problems than had been expected. This was
particularly true for organics, where at most sampling locations only
a small number of the 55 organic priority pollution parameters were
detectable in the water column. The sediment samples yielded a
greater number of pollutants, but not in high enough concentrations to
pose a serious problem.
Somewhat similar findings thoughout the Country has caused Headquar-
ters to reevaluate its position. It has now been determined that it 28 -
is not necessary for the Regions to analyze for all 129 priority pol-
lutants at each sampling site, but rather that each Region should use
its own environmental risk assessment for the local area. However,
at a minimum, Headquarters requires that 12 priority pollutants or
categories of pollutants be looked at for additional controls on a
nationwide basis, since they are projected to be present even after
Best Available Technology (BAT).
I have mentioned treatment plants having been candidates for or having
recieved O&M awards in these success stories. I'd like to take a
little time here to discuss the performance of POTW's for the 1975-
1980 period and tell you a little about the awards program.
For many years the performance of POTW's has been actively monitored 29 -
by EPA and the States. The graph shows the national trend of POTW's
from 1975 to 1980 in meeting or exceeding secondary standards.
One significant action that Region V has taken to contribute to the 30 -
national trend is the development of the O&M awards program. This
slide shows the location and category of plants that have received
awards. (1981). This program has received a favorable response in
the Region.
Pollu-
tants
which
may
require
analysi
% meeti
seconda
standar
O&M
Awards
-------
-15-
AIR QUALITY STATUS PRESENTATION
Region V Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) Status
While particulate emissions have decreased from 1970 to the present
due mostly to the control of traditional industrial stack emissions
aid fuel switching, national summaries have suggested that ambient
levels have not decreased as much in recent years because low level
fugitive emissions from industry and windblown dust have not de-
creased. As of 1979, all or portions of 61 counties in Region V were
designated primary nonattainment for TSP. Although not everyone in
these counties is exposed to primary standard violations everyday,
the population of these 61 counties represents 55% of the Region's
total. A comparison of the attainment status based on 1980 data to
that experienced during 1975-77 follows.
In 1975, 24% (225/947) of the TSP sites exceeded the annual standard
while 7% (63/947) sites exceeded the 24-hour primary standard.
By 1980, 20% (197/971) (Change: -4%) sites exceeded the annual stand- 31 - TSP,
ard while 4% (39/971) (Change: -3%) exceeded the 24-hour primary and 1980
28% (274/971) (Change: -10%) exceeded secondary standards.
Thus, we note reductions of 4% primary and a surprising 10% reduction
in secondary nonattaining monitoring sites. Progress is being made in
TSP monitored areas!
As compared to 1975-1977, we note 52 counties showing improvement
while only 7 showing a worsening condition.
Monitored Population Exposure
In a rough sense we can estimate the number of persons exposed to TSP
concentrations at the primary, secondary, and attainment levels. We
utilize the good assumption that monitors are now concentrated in the
high population urban areas, thus the number of monitors is propor-
tional to the population exposed. The Regional population exposed to
TSP concentrations has decreased from 1975 to 1980 by 3-1/2%, with the
monitored population exposed to primary standard violations decreasing
to just under 17%.
This decrease in primary standard exposure is excellent considering:
(1) Many urban areas already had the most significant decreases
in TSP levels between 1970 and 1975.
(2) Improvement in monitoring network after 1978, relocation of
sites to peak concentration areas or "hot spot" special pur-
pose monitoring and reduction of the number of TSP sites
significantly under the primary standards (year after year).
-------
-16-
Trends toward improved air quality with respect to TSP were noted in
Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Dayton, Akron, Youngstown and Madison.
Although, as in the Regional trend analysis, almost half of the
attainment sites remain statistically no change.
Highlighted Areas
Let's take a closer look at some of these areas and our successes in
reducing TSP. With only a few exceptions, the Greater Detroit area
in 1980 displayed improvement in TSP when compared with data for pre-
vious years. Wayne County displayed greater regional improvement as
a result of a reduction in emissions.
On the first Detroit slide we see isopleths of the 1972 annual TSP 32 - Detroit
geometric mean. The outer blue ring represents secondary level 1972
(60 ug/m3), next is green (75 ug/nr3), yellow (100), pink (125), and
(150) at the innermost ring. The second slide represents the iso- 33 - Detroit
pleths for 1980. Changes are evident with shrinking areas of non- 1980
attainment to be confined to the inner area where the heavy industrial
base is located. However, concentrations are even down in this area;
the River Rouge site, for instance, improved 26% in 1980 over the pre-
vious year and the site at the northern edge of Zug Island reduced by
22%, to the lowest on record. The nonattainment sites are in close
proximity to steel mills (Great Lake Steel - Zug Island and the Ford
Steel Division Plant) which have been shown to be major contributors.
Further improvements are expected through particulate reductions re-
sulting from Michigan iron and steel regulations, industrial fugitive (
regulations, and nontraditional fugitive source strategies.
Another area, Middletown, Ohio, has made significant progress. I'm
talking, of course, about the ARMCO bubble. Having the knowledge
that I would be giving the ARMCO Steel bubble as a success story, I
was shocked when I read the newspaper article that the ARMCO Plant was
to shut down — only to read the fine print and realize that it was
not the main facility in Middletown but the new coking plant in Miami!
Actually, there is success in that employees in Miami will be working
at the Middletown plant. But returning to TSP, ARMCO Steel has em-
ployed an alternative emission control plan to reduce open dust emis-
sions called a "bubble". This is a pie chart of ARMCO TSP emissions
to air. ARMCO produces about 3 million tons of steel per year and is 34 - ARMCO
the major industrial source in this primarily commercial and residen- pie
tial area. The company submitted a bubble proposal consisting of
extensive open dust fugitive control programs as a substitute for
installing secondary control systems which would control process fugi-
tives emitted from roof monitors on their blast furnace cast house,
basic oxygen shop, and open hearth shop. From the slide, one can see
there are alternatives to get to the same goal - TSP emission reduc-
tions - by cutting any of the pie in a cost effective manner.
-------
-17-
Ak.^u reduced open dust emissions by reducing plant traffic, paved
parking lots and 7 miles of roadway, comprehensive paved road cleaning
program, dust suppressants, and storage pile spraying. TSP values
obtained at a site near the plant every year from 1975-79 showed one
of the highest annual averages in the Region (193 to 133 ug/m^ com-
pared to 75 ug/ra^ standard). A major monitoring effort since 1979
has shown post-control annual means measuring 75 ug/m^ representing
a reduction of 54% from 1978 control level. In addition, no exceed-
ances of the 24-hour primary standard were observed during all of
1980. These results demonstrate that an innovative fugitive dust
control program can achieve significant air quality improvement and
at the same time yield substantial cost savings to industry.
A third TSP nonattainment area is Steubenville, Ohio which at the be-
ginning of this decade was one of the nationally renouned dirty areas!
Indeed, this area of the Ohio River Valley has recorded some of the
highest annual and short-term TSP concentrations ever recorded in this
Region and air stagnation conditions were almost a weekly occurrence
in this valley - much like a bowl with a lid trapping the contents!
Within the last five years, there has been remarkable improvement in
TSP air quality. The next slide shows the past 11 years of TSP air
quality data at four monitors located in the vicinity of Steubenville
and Mingo Junction. Concentrations recorded at these locations were
over three times the primary annual standard. The Mingo Junction site
has fallen steadily from 147 to 123 from 1975 1980, a significant
downward trend. Likewise, three nonattaining sites in Steubenville
have dropped from 135 to 91 with steady significant downward trend.
Reduction in stationary source TSP emissions in Jefferson County
116,000 in 1977 to 48,000 in 1980 (a remarkable 58% reduction) reflect
improvement in pollution control efforts here.
Region V Sulfur Dioxide Status
Regionally, most of the urban area wide reduction in S02 occurred
prior to 1975 due to fuel switching, both home and industrial (coal to
gas, oil, low sulfur coal). Only three sites in three counties ex-
ceeded the primary 24-hour standard for S02 in 1980 and only one site
exceeded the secondary 3-hour standard, of the 347 monitors reporting.
No site in the Region exceeded the primary annual standard in 1980.
The counties with primary standard exceedances were Lake County,
Indiana (Hammond - refinery malfunction), Dakota County, Minnesota
(Pine Bend - refinery area), Marathon County, Wisconsin (Brokaw -
paper pulping). The secondary violation occurred in St. Clair County
(East St. Louis, chemical - oil refineries). By contrast, in 1975
there were 27 of 595 monitoring sites exceeding the primary annual
standard and 27 exceeding the primary 24-hour standard. Remarkably,
Ohio in 1975 had 21 of the 27 violating sites and in 1980 had none!
35 - Steuben
ville
trends
36 - SO?,
1980
-------
-18-
Thus, in reviewing the Region V S02 status in 1975-77 to 1980, we note
tV.Ht 11 counties improved and rio county worsened.
Region V S02 Population Exposure
The Regional population exposed to primary S02 violations has been re-
duced from 2% in 1975 to a mere .3% in 1980.
Region V Nitrogen Dioxide (NC^) Status
From 1975 to 1977 only 4-5 sites/year were not attaining the primary 37 - N02,
annual standard; however, in 1978 and 1979 eleven (11) and eighteen 1980
(18) sites (10 and 17 in Cook County, Illinois) exceeded the standards
respectively. Although other cities showed increasing trend during
this time, the standard was not exceeded. In 1980 only three sites,
all in Cook County, exceeded the standard.
The phenomenon of an increasing trend for N02 is not limited to
Chicago but to the Region as a whole (including Cleveland, Akron,
Canton, and Indianapolis). In fact, nationally many major areas have
shown this trend.
The Report to the Administrator for 1980 summarized that "nationally,
ambient N02 levels increased 15% between 1975 and 1979 at 180 sites.
Additionally, total NOX emissions have increased 12% between 1975 and
1979 due to increase in the fuel consumed by power plants during this
time period. Growth in vehicle miles travelled (35% increase) offset
the NOX emissions reduction per vehicle. While this increasing trend
is cause for concern, It is important to realize that only 3% of NC>2
measurements at 933 sites with acceptable data exceeded the health
-related standard."
Region V NCK Population Exposure
In 1978 only Cook County was listed as primary nonattainment with
12.8% of the Region V population. All other counties were designated
attainment. The slide displays continued compliance in the Region
with the exception of Cook County.
Region V Carbon Monoxide Status
In 1975 30% (22 of 73) sites exceeded the primary 8-hour health stand- 38 - CO,
ard regionwide. By 1980 this was cut almost in half to 17% (11 of 64) 1980
of the CO sites exceeding the standard. Twenty-eight counties were
designated nonattainment primary (47% of the Region's population).
Mobile source CO emissions have been significantly reduced through the
Federal Motor Vehicle Control Program (FMVCP) and transition from
larger to smaller cars. Under FMVCP cleaner, more fuel efficient ve-
hicles are introduced by requiring car manufacturers to make vehicles
-------
-19-
able to meet increasingly more stringent tailpipe emission standards.
Carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and oxides of nitrogen are the three
principal auto pollutants requiring these more stringent standards.
Local air quality plans have been able to show a marked decrease in
the amount of pollution credited toward mobile sources. For instance,
in Milwaukee's seven county area, the base planning year of 1977 had
519,788 tons of CO emitted from mobile sources. By 1982, Milwaukee
will have a reduction of 32% from the 1977 year to 354,964 tons.
Region V CO Population Exposure
Population exposed to primary CO violations has decreased from 1975 by
11%, down to just under 8% of the population exposed in 1980. Urban
areas showing sites with decreasing trends are Chicago (3), Peoria
(1), Saginaw (1), Detroit (3), Toledo (1), Dayton (1), Cleveland (1),
Akron (1).
Region V Ozone Status
155 of 533 Region V counties were designated primary nonattainment in 39 - 03
1978. Strategies to reduce ozone concentrations in these areas impact 1980
over 75% of the Region's population. By 1980, of the 84 counties
still monitored, 33 contained at least one site over the primary stand-
ard.
Regionally, by 1980 almost 11% fewer people than in 1975 reside in
areas violating primary standards, down to just over 21% of the popu-
lation residing in primary nonattainment areas.
Region V Ozone Trends can be Summarized by;
# Sites with increasing concentration 6 (5.9%)
# Sites with decreasing concentration 39 (38.6%)
# Sites with no change 56 (55.5%)
This summary dramatically illustrates a short-term decrease between
1978 and 1980, which appears to be due to a combination of factors:
more conducive meteorological condition for ozone formation, calibra-
tion changes and changes in quality assurance procedures and reduction
in emissions. Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Milwaukee,
St. Louis, and Louisville have all shown significant downward ozone
trends, especially based on the 1979-81 data.
-------
-20-
WASTE
Beginning in June of 1980, the Region became extremely active in using
specific Federal authorities at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.
Although Superfund legislation was imminent, its pending status re-
quired all actions for cleanup to be taken under the authority of
Section 311 of the Clean Water Act. During a six month period from
June, 1980, the Region's activities associated with 311 increased
approximately 1000 percent. The best example of these activities is
described by our work at the Seymour Recycling Center, Seymour,
Indiana. Our actions at this site, which is one of the largest in
the country, significantly reduced the threat to both human health and
the environment. Our specific efforts addressed collection and treat-
ment of runoff from the site, determination of relative groundwater
contamination and direction of flow, and removal of approximately 1/2
million gallons of hazardous substances. Although considerable work
remains at this site, our activities under 311 have set the standard
for fast track management approaches and administrative cost control
mechanisms necessary at virtually all of the uncontrolled sites we
must deal with.
40 - Seymour
41 - Seymour
drums
When the Superfund legislation was signed into law in December, 1980,
Region V was well prepared to begin implementation. The Region is
actively participating in the national remedial action site ranking
process (national slide). Thirteen sites from Region V appear on the
interim priority site list of 115 published last fall.
In addition, we have underway seven Superfund removal actions. Of
these, our action in Isanti County, Minnesota, provides a good example
of environmental cleanup and State/EPA cooperation. Our specific
actions here were phased to involve 1) removal of drums that had been
abandoned at 4 different sites in the county, and, 2) excavation of
buried drums at one of the sites. What we have done thus far displays
the kind of public health protection and environmental cleanup that is
readily achievable under the Superfund Law.
We recently completed removal of approximately 300 drums from the sur-
face and, in a program first, we are about to conclude a contract with
the State to undertake and direct the operations necessary for drum
excavation, removal and disposal. At the conclusion of this latter
effort, the groundwater contamination problem in Isanti County will,
in large part, be resolved.
At the Rasem Tannery site in Ashtabula, Ohio we recently completed
clean-up of approximately 80 drums of highly flammable waste solvents
and a 5,000 gallon mixture of Toluene and water located in the base-
ment of one of the buildings at the site. The site had posed a sig-
nificant public health threat because of its close proximity to three
neighborhood schools with a total enrollment of nearly 1,500 children,
who would pass the site daily on their way to and from school.
42 - CERCLA
Sites
-------
-21-
Our removal actions under the authority of Superfund have addressed
43 - Reg. V
Worst
Sites
Detroit Drums
Detroit, Michigan
Laskin's Waste Oil
Jefferson, Ohio
Ohio Drum
Cleveland, Ohio
Old Mill
Rock Creek, Ohio
Raseni Tannery
Ashtabula, Ohio
MIDCO I
Gary, Indiana
Isanti Solvents
Isanti County, Minnesota
Berlin and Farro
Swartz Creek, Michigan
Chemical and Minerals
Cleveland, Ohio
Greiner's Lagoon
Fremont, Ohio
removal and disposal of
randomly dumped drums
remove contaminated waste
oil and soil
diversion of runoff around
contaminated area
remove and dispose of
waste solvents
remove and dispose of
waste solvents
remove and dispose of
surface contaminants
removal of surface druns
and buried materials
stabilize runoff by deepen-
ing sediment traps
removal and disposal of
drums and contaminated soil
removal and disposal of
contaminated waste oil
and soil capping
completed
completed
completed
completed
completed
in progress
in progress
in progress
in progress
in progress
PCS Disposal Site Approval Process
The PCB disposal site approval program has had an indirect, positive
effect on the environment of Region V. The program approves equipment
of facilities capable of destroying or removing PCBs from the general
or industrial environment.
Industry is responding to the massive problem created by PCBs contam-
ination by developing several types of full-scale equipment and facil-
ities. Incineration, chemical detoxification, and disposal are the
primary types. These may be stationary or portable.
Incineration is environmentally advantageous for two reasons: (1) It
destroys PCBs, and (2) It saves energy by using the PCBs-contaminated
liquid as equivalent replacement fuels.
-------
-22-
Chenical detoxification provides three notable environmental benefits:
(1) It destroys PCBs, (2) It allows recycling of purified dielectric
oils, and (3) The equipment being developed is portable, thus elimin-
ating the necessity to transport the PCBs-contaminated material. Sta-
tionary facilities have included:
High efficiency boilers
Incinerators
Landfills
Portable facilities have included chemical detoxification.
(Show the "PCBs Disposal Site Approval Process Summary" Slide)
As of this date, USEPA Region V has approved or authorized 12 PCB dis-
posal applications. These 12 authorized facilities have a combined
disposal capacity of approximately 200,000 gallons/year of liquid PCBs
and abbout 100,000 cubic yards/year of non-liquid PCBs. Eight (8)
other applications are currently under review which, when approved
will add a minimum 4.4 million gallons/year of liquid PCBs to the dis-
posal capacity in Region V.
Region V has been the leader in the country in developing analysis
methodologies and permitting techniques for the program. Our ap-
proaches are being adopted by the other Regions.
The permitting of PCB disposal facilities and methods has an obvious
positive impact on the PCB program. As facilities that have been
holding PCJJ contaminated oils and other materials in storage begin to
dispose of or reclaim the contaminated oils we will have fewer and
fewer locations where environmental problems can occur.
School Asbestos Program
The Region has also been very successful in implementing EPA's Volun-
tary Asbestos Control Program for public and private schools in the
Region, 17,621 (or 75 percent) have been inspected. Of those 2,035
(12 percent) required corrective action and 672 (33 percent) schools
have taken steps to eliminate or control exposure to asbestos. It is
estimated that 287,000 children are no longer being exposed to this
source of asbestos.
Crete Metals Investigation
The success of a coordinated effort on a Federal, State and local
level is evidenced by the outcome of the Crete Metals Investigation.
The Region along with the Illinois EPA, a physician-toxicologist from
Cook County Hospital and a vet from the U of I joined forces to ident-
ify the cause of health problems in humans and animals residing near
this wire reclamation incinerator.
44 -
PCB
Approva
Disap-
proval
45 - Chemica
landfil'
-------
-23-
The human health complaints included several cases of respiratory and
eve irritation, sone skin disorders and a neurological disorder in one
person. Several horses at a nearby stable had died shortly before the
investigation commenced. In the spring, prior to their deaths, those
horses and others were left overnight in a pasture where the maximum
ground level concentration of pollutants from the incinerator was
calculated to occur. All the horses exhibited fluctuations and diffi-
culty in maintaining weight, and also had skin disorders. One mare
gave birth to a blind foal this same spring. Several weeks later
during the investigation, this mare died; she was examined for symp-
toms of exposure to toxic substances.
The acute human health problems were linked to air pollution from the
operation of the wire reclamation incinerator, which frequently ope-
rated without pollution controls. Tetrachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin
and tetrachlorinated dibenzofurans were found in ashes scraped from
the inside of an incinerator and stack, in soil collected on site,
and in a fat sample from the deceased mare. Soil from the pasture
did not contain detectable levels of either substance.
The results of this investigation led to the shut down and removal of
the incinerator and an improvement in the health problems.
-------
-24-
PESTICIDES SECTION |
2,4,5-T/Silvex Suspension
On February 9, 1979, the Administrator suspended the registrations of
all pesticide products containing 2,4,5-T or Silvex. Certain uses of
these chemicals were suspected of being carcinogens and of causing
spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. All producers, distributors
and known user groups were notified to remove the products from sale
or use until certain label changes were made. Certain of the product
labels could not be amended and registrations were finally cancelled.
It became known in early 1981 that the Minnesota Department of Trans-
portation (DOT) and county maintenance offices had not been notified
of the suspension order and, in fact, were still using the products
for highway and rights-of-way brush control thus exposing applicator
personnel and other citizens to an unacceptable risk. Region V in
March of 1981 , wrote all county engineers informing them of the sus-
pension order and offering assistance in the proper disposal of any
stocks on hand. Response was immediate and was directly responsible
for the removal, from Minnesota, of 1600 gallons of 2,4,5-T Silvex.
The Region directed the consolidation of stocks and the subsequent
shipment to acceptable warehousing or disposal sites.
This action has effectively precluded the possibility of any further
citizen exposure to the suspect chemicals and stopped rights-of-way
spraying and the associated deposition of 2,4,5-T residues along
Minnesota rights-of-way throughout the State.
As a result of this incident the Minnesota Department of Agriculture
has set up a retraining program for Minnesota DOT applicator per-
sonnel.
Hazardous Waste Management Program
Implementation of the RCRA program is relatively new. Consequently,
a positive environmental impact associated with the granting of RCRA
permits cannot be clearly seen as yet. On the other hand, an indirect
positive effect on the environment of Region V is apparent from our
follow-up of compliance activities associated with inspection of
facilities that generate, transport, treat, store, or dispose of
hazardous waste*
Out of a nationwide total of approximately 66,000 generators, trans- 46 - Where
porters, and TSD facilities which have notified USEPA of hazardous are
waste activities, almost one-quarter are in Region V. Wastes
-------
-25-
Since November 1980, over 1800 compliance inspections have been per-
formed in Repion V by EPA and State inspectors. These inspections
have resulted in an overall positive environmental impact in Region V.
In addition to the actions the States have taken in instances of non-
compliance, Region V has taken more than 200 enforcement actions. Of
these greater than 80 percent have been resolved by the facility
cor.ing into compliance.
-------
-26-
CHICAGO
That concludes the media specific presentations, and brings us to that
toddling town, Chicago. Along with the Regional Office, the Metropol-
itan Sanitary District and the City of Chicago have an abiding interest
in the quality of the lake water—the primary source of drinking water
for most of the population in the area.
When you talk about the Chicago Metro area, you are talking about
large numbers. We have here the greatest concentration of just about
everything in the Region, from POTWs to steel plants, with the asso-
ciated waste discharges and emissions. There are 529 counties in the
Region populated by 44 million people. Of that number, Cook County
alone contains 12.8 percent of the total population in the Region, or
5.6 million people. Of course, with this large number and concentra-
tion of people, environmental problems emerge.
Phosphorus has long been recognized as a significant problem for the
near shore. Current evidence is accumulating from shoreline studies
that detergent phosphate bans have resulted in significant improve-
ments in near shore water quality. A linear regression analysis shows
that the Indiana detergent phosphate bans have reduced nearshore con-
centrations, while extensive studies have been published that linked
50 percent reductions in the nearshore abundances of phytoplankton
along Chicago's shoreline with the implementation of the City's deter-
gent phosphate ban and reduction in discharges from storm runoff.
47 -
Chicago
Lake
Front
48 - P Trend
49 - Phyto-
plankto
reduc-
tion
There are 66 major municipal and 23 major industrial dischargers in
the Chicago SMSA. At the present time, the waste treatment plants
have an overall compliance rate of 66 percent. Due to the major
emphasis on water quality in the Regional Office, at IEPA and MSD con-
struction grants have been available to achieve secondary treatment
of all municipal dischargers. This is particularly noteworthy in that
this is the first major metropolitan area in the nation to reach such
an achievement. However, urban runoff and combined sewer overflows
have masked the impact of the secondary treatment on stream quality.
(At this point, I'm going to be conspiculously silent and not mention
TARP). In one sense though, water quality improvement can be measured
by noting that there has not been any further degradation of the sur-
face waters in the area, even though new dischargers are coming on
line continuously.
In spite of the relatively high compliance rate for the STPs, lapses
do occur as witnessed by the significant number of beach closings
which occurred during 1980 (36 in all). You may remember that exten-
sive investigative work was completed by the Region along with per-
sonnel from the MSD. The sampling enabled us to positively relate
water and source samples and led to the identification of a Hammond
50 -
No
Swimmin
-------
-27-
Sanitary District pumping station as the source of the pollution.
Tnese problems have since been corrected following a concerted water
program, enforcement and surveillance effort which fast tracked grant,
litigation and construction of an additional sewer line from court
order in November 1980 to the pipe on line in May 1981.
We were able to trace all of the beach closings to a source except
one that appeared to be associated with pollution from Navy Pier.
Chicagofest, 1980 was going on at that time. However, our previous
Regional Administrator had recently absolved Chicagofest of any prob-
lems at a press conference and the connection to Chicagofest was not
pursued. The MSD though, was alerted to the possibility. You may
recall what happened the next year at the 1981 Chicagofest; leaking
sewage lines were discovered which allowed raw sewage to discharge
directly into the lake. That problem has also been corrected.
Chicago Priority Pollution Program
We are all well aware of other serious water quality problems in the
NW Indiana area as well. We, therefore, conducted an extensive di-
lution study on the Grand Calumet River, Lake George Canal and the 51 - Indian;
Indiana Harbor Canal. The study area is located entirely in Lake Harbor
County in Northwest Indiana, an area of intense industrial activity, Canal
with a population in excess of 500,000. The environmental condition
of the study area is considered to be severely degraded. Electro-
shocking for fish was conducted in the Indiana Harbor Canal. Only
one carp was collected and no other fish were observed. A comparison
of the chemistry data with Indiana water quality standards shows ex-
ceedances for a number of parameters. These include:
Ammonia-Nitrogen Chloride
Cyanide Fluoride
Phenol Mercury
Total Phosphorus Oil and Grease
Sediment data showed high concentrations in nearly all samples. Alum-
inum, iron, cadmium and barium were the most abundant. In addition,
eighteen different organic compounds were detected at varying concen-
trations in the sediment samples. Although efforts are being made to
improve the water quality in this part of Lake County, in fact, even
this degraded condition is an improvement over the past years — much
remains to be done.
Well, how good is the air quality here? During the past ten years
of air monitoring ambient standards for total suspended particulates
(TSP), sulfur dioxide (S02), nitrogen dioxide (N02), carbon monoxide
(CO), and ozone (03) have not been attained in all areas of the
Chicago urban area. However, by 1980 with 232 actual air monitors in
the Chicago area, only 30 sites (12.9 percent) were in excess of pri-
mary health standards for the criteria pollutants.
-------
-28-
TSP
The greatest number of TSP air pollution sources in the Chicago urban
area are found in Cook County and Lake County, Indiana where we have
a high concentration of steel mills grain elevators, chemical plants
and, refineries. However, some notable improvements have been made
through the elimination of outdated, inefficient open hearths; the
rebuilding of leaking coke batteries and the installation of new,
cleaner steel making furnaces and particulate control devices. Since
this equipment can be expensive and the problem so immense, the retro-
fitting has taken more years than planned. State implementation plans
to address excessive TSP emissions in southeastern Cook County and
Lake County Indiana include completion of TSP related technical stud-
ies and implementation of new source review. As a result of these
efforts, a 50 percent reduction in steel mill process and 50 percent
reduction of fugitive dust emissions has occurred.
Carbon Monoxide
52 -
TSP
Sources
SE
Chicago
In Chicago, CO concentrations and frequency of exceedance of the
standard are generally decreasing with time. This is particularly
true for the downtown monitoring sites. The most likely cause of
these downward trends is a downward trend in mobile source CO emis-
sions. Mobile sources are the predominate source of CO in the Chicago
area. Mobile source CO emissions have been significantly reduced
through the Federal Motor Vehicle Control Program (FWVCP) and through
the public's transition from larger to smaller cars.
Ozone
As is the case of CO, ozone concentrations in Chicago have decreased
significantly from the pre-1978 levels. This observed downward trend
can probably be attributed to reduction in emissions of volatile
organic compounds (VOC) as well as an improvement (less conducive to
ozone formation) in meteorology. A number of VOC emission control
programs have been implemented in the Chicago area. These include
controls on evaporative emissions, combustion emissions, and mobile
source emissions. Strategies for reducing hydrocarbons and thus the
ozone problem have included again the Federal Motor Vehicle Control
Program (FMVCP) and volatile organic vapor lablace control. The FMVCP
should reduce hydrocarbons by 56 percent - from 248,613 tons in 1977
to 109,666 tons in 1987. (Slide on VOC Emission Reduction in Chicago)
The employment of reasonably available control technology (RACT) for
major sources of volatile organic compounds (VOC) - i.e., "gasoline
marketing operations," includes gasoline storage, gasoline loading of
tank trucks at terminals, and bulk plants, and gasoline delivery by
tank trucks to bulk plants and gasoline service stations.
53 - Loop
Traffic
54 - VOC
Emission
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
GLNPO Library Collection (PL-12J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
-------
-29-
Gasoline Loading Racks
Enforcement actions taken against 112 gasoline loading terminals owned
by 31 major oil companies in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio reduced annual 55 -
hydrocarbon emissions by more than 16,000 tons.
This decrease in hydrocarbon pollution Is especially significant since
it has an energy-saving benefit in recovering gasoline as well as an
environmental benefit in reducing the formation of ozone. Reducing
hydrocarbon emissions by 16,000 tons means a potential annual saving
of more than 6.5 million gallons of gasoline.
Nitrogen Dioxide
Unlike CO and ozone, no significant downward trend can be seen in the
Chicago N02 data. The lack of such a downward trend appears to be
typical of Region V as a whole. At this time, it is unclear why a
downward trend does not exist. Mobile source NOX emissions, through
the FMVCP, were expected to decrease significantly after 1977. Sta-
tionary source emissions of NOX were expected to remain relatively
constant. Both the USEPA and the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency are rethinking our strategy for reduction of N02.
Hazardous Waste Sites Sweeps
Chicago has been positively impacted by EPA regardless of the media or
program. We have inspected many facilities in the Chicago/NW Indiana
area for PCB Storage and disposal compliance, pesticide registration,
use and removal when appropriate (such as the suspension of Silvex and
2,4,5-T) and we've also made sure that our children's exposure to
asbestos particles has been minimized. In addition we've taken either
311 or Superfund actions at such sites as Outboard Marine in Waukegan,
and MIDCO I, Gary, Indiana but probably the most unforgettable, and
highly publicized impact that the Region has made in this metropolitan
area in recent times began in July, 1980 when the first of four major
metropolitan "sweeps" to identify hazardous waste sites commenced in
Southeast Chicago following a weekend discovery of silos of caustic 56 -
wastes by the Chicago MSD at U.S. Scrap. Here we see two slides of
of the "before" and one of "after" at that location. This was a total 57 -
effort by all Regional personnel even remotely involved in the haz-
ardous waste program at the time. In the span of less than three work 58 -
weeks, approximately 100 locations were inspected to determine if haz-
ardous wastes existed on site and, if so, were the wastes being prop-
erly managed. Besides filing two cases with the U.S. Attorney (Acme
Refining and the Ciszar Property) several other immediate cleanups
were effected. Two more besides U.S. Scrap are shown in the following
before and after slides:
Stage 1
Recovery
U.S. Scrap
Before
U.S. Scrap
Before
U.S. Scrap
After
-------
-30-
1. Shamrock Environmental Services
Bolingbrook
2. A & B Containers, Chicago
In addition to the immediate actions the sweep also identified facil-
ities to be targeted for RCRA Interim Status Standards Inspections
when the regulations became effective on November 19, 1980.
The Barker Chemical Company (before and after slides), mentioned
earlier in the general waste discussion, was one of those sites and
resulted in our first RCRA compliance order.
In Northwest Indiana, we repeated our sweep effort the following month
(August 1980). There we inspected 135 sites, again filed two actions
with the U.S. Attorney and targeted more facilities for RCRA ISS In-
spections. I'll stop here by noting a lesson reinforced by the sweep
activities for the waste program that had been one of the keys to
success in all media programs — and that is the fantastic cooperation
that was established between USEPA, the State Agencies, the 208 plan-
ning planning agencies, the State Police and County Sheriff's Depart-
ments and several other agencies at all levels. The most effective
way to handle all of our environmental problems is as a joint effort.
That concludes the presentation. I hope I have been successful in
giving you a good feel for the overall quality of the environment in
Region V, and in highlighting some of our successes.
59 - Shamrock
Before '
60 - Shamrocl
After
61 - A & B
Before
62 - A & B
After
63
64
Barker
Before
Barker
After
------- |