United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region 5
"") South Dearborn Street
cago, Illinois 60604
Report on
The Environment
Region V, 1983
m
b
-------
As EPA enters its fourteenth year, we can look
with pride upon its many accomplishments.
This report specifically addresses our achievements
during fiscal 7 983, as well as the challenges that
will confront us in the future.
j^^^^^^^^^^t
It is my hope that this publication will be
useful to those who are interested in improving our
environment and preserving the cherished natural
resources that are so plentiful in our Region.
It will take the best efforts of all of us—citizens,
government agencies, environmentalists and mdustry-
to rise to the tasks still ahead.
-------
The six states that form the Environmental Protection Agency's Region V—Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin—have been generously endowed
with natural resources that make the Region a leader in commerce, industry
and agriculture.
Nestled along the shores of four Great Lakes, these states contain almost
46 million people and 1 21 million acres of the Nation's most productive farmland.
The lakes themselves support huge recreational and fishing industries.
Underground coal reserves in Illinois, Indiana and eastern Ohio are the largest in
the country, and smaller deposits of iron ore, copper, natural gas and oil are scattered
throughout the Region. Timberlands and fisheries are plentiful.
-------
But the very things that made the Midwest great also make it vulnerable to
environmental damage. The Region's coal-fired power plants emit much of the sulfur
dioxide that falls to Earth as acid rain, threatening wilderness in the Midwest as well as
lakes, streams and forests in the Northeast.
Valuable topsoil, often tainted by fertilizer and pesticide residues, routinely erodes
into streams, rivers and the Great Lakes. Industrial hazardous wastes present special
disposal and contamination problems. The Region's high concentration of chemical,
steel and paper industries also causes significant environmental impacts.
EPA is working in partnership with all Region V states to help address these issues
and to find creative solutions to the challenges of the future.
-------
WASTE MANAGEMENT
EPA faces no greater challenge than protecting
America from the consequences of improper
hazardous waste disposal. There are thousands of
abandoned waste dumps in farmers' fields and
inner cities, in roadside ditches and on river banks-
often contaminating our soil, water and air.
-------
Because of the threat these
dumps pose to human health and
the environment, Congress passed
the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and
Liability Act in 1980. This law is
commonly known as Superfund
because it created a 5-year, $1.6
billion fund to finance the cleanup
of hazardous waste sites throughout
the Nation. Eighty-seven percent of
the Superfund money comes from
taxes on the manufacture or import
of certain chemicals and petroleum;
the remainder comes from general
revenues.
The most important aspect of
Superfund is that it allows EPA to
take immediate action when neces-
sary to protect human health and
the environment. Before Superfund,
the Agency was unable to act so
swiftly. EPA is now authorized to
clean up a problem and then, where
possible, to recover those expenses
from the parties responsible for
creating the problem.
More than 2,900 abandoned
hazardous waste dump sites are
thought to exist in Region V and are
being evaluated for their potential
to endanger public health and the
environment. Of these sites, 141
have been selected by the states
and EPA for inclusion on the
National Priorities List, a catalog of
546 sites throughout the Nation
which are eligible for Superfund
cleanups. The Midwest has more
sites on the list than any other area
in the country.
Thirty-one of the Region's 141
sites were in various stages of
cleanup during 1983, ranging from
exploratory studies to actual
hazardous waste removal.
Region V Superfund National Priorities List Sites
ILLINOIS
A & F Materials
Outboard Marine Corp.
Wauconda Sand & Gravel
Cross Brothers/Pembroke
Johns-Manville
Byron Salvage Yard
Acme Solvent
• LaSalle Electric
INDIANA
Seymour
» Envirochem
Midco I
€ Lemon Lane Landfill
• Poer Farm
• Bennett Stone Quarry
• Lake Sandy Jo
• Northside Sanitary Landfill
• Reilly Tar & Chemical
MICHIGAN
r Berlin & Farro
Liquid Disposal Inc.
I Northernaire Plating
» Gratiot County Landfill
» Ott/Story/Cordova
it Velsicol
• Rose TWP Dump
» G & H Landfill
* Verona Well Field
* Novaco Industries
Charlevoix Municipal Well
• Spiegelburg Landfill
• Springfield TWP Dump
• Packaging Corp. of America
• Forest Waste Products
• Cliff/Dow Dump
• Cemetary Dump Site
• Rasmussen's Dump
MINNESOTA
• New Brighton/Arden Hills
• Reilly Tar
• Waste Disposal Engineering
• LeHillier
• South Andover Site
• Arrowhead Refinery
• Morris Arsenic Dump
OHIO
Chem-Dyne
Coshocton City Landfill
Laskin/Poplar Oil
Old Mill
Field's Brook
New Lyme Landfill
• Arcanum Iron & Metal
• Summit National
• Bowers Landfill
• Allied Chemical
WISCONSIN
• Mid-State Disposal, Inc. Landfill
KEY:
Sites where cleanup work was performed during
FY 1983 or earlier.
Sites to get funding in FY 1984.
Sites where no action has yet occurred.
-------
Distribution of Hazardous Waste Producing Plants
Region V has the highest concentration of industrial hazardous waste producers in the
United States—an estimated 3,240 in 1981, the most recent year for which data are available.
However, Superfund distinguishes
between emergency situations that
require immediate action to protect
human health and sites that present
a longer-range problem. EPA con-
siders the special demands of each
situation before deciding on the most
appropriate response.
When immediate action is needed
at a site, it usually involves neutral-
izing, isolating or removing chemi-
cals to prevent fires, explosions, or
public health risks. Ordinarily, these
actions are limited by law to six
months and a total cost of $1 million.
EPA can act quickly to alleviate dan-
gerous situations at any abandoned
dump site, whether or not it is on the
National Priorities List.
In fiscal 1983, Region V supervised
29 immediate removals, 14 of which
were at sites on the National Priori-
ties List. The cost of these operations
was $6.6 million.
In several instances during 1983,
immediate removals were sufficient
to clean up a site and made further
action unnecessary. After two drums
exploded at the abandoned Alburn
Incinerator site in South Chicago last
summer, EPA supervised the remov-
al of about 300,000 gallons of bulk
wastes and 6,500 drums of flam-
mable wastes. Superfund money
financed the $1.3 million cleanup.
EPA also acted swiftly to prevent
potentially dangerous situations
at three abandoned metal plating
companies in the Region. At each
location, containers of Hydrogen and
cyanide were found in close proxi-
mity. When these substances are
mixed, they react violently to form
the lethal hydrogen cyanide gas.
Hixon Plating, near a residential
area in Bushnell, Illinois, was
cleaned up in four days at a cost of
$45,500. Danville Plating, across the
street from an elementary school in
Danville, Illinois, was cleaned up in
less than a month at a cost of
$89,500. Peerless Plating's acid and
cyanide were removed from an aban-
doned Muskegon, Michigan, site in
less than a month for a cost of
$70,000.
The heart of the Superfund
program, however, is what the
Agency calls "Remedial Cleanups."
These cleanups, usually of large,
severely contaminated sites, involve
extensive studies and plans to en-
sure that the job is done in the best
and most cost-effective way possible.
Some remedial cleanups can take
several years to complete.
Because industries in the six
Region V states produce and handle
more hazardous waste than any
other area in the country, there are
many related problems.
-------
Among the worst of Region V's
hazardous waste sites is the Chem-
Dyne site in Hamilton, Ohio—a
former chemical waste transfer,
disposal and storage facility. Fires,
explosions and fish kills have
resulted from operations at the
10-acre site, and the air, soil, surface
water and groundwater have been
contaminated.
Almost $2.7 million has been
spent to remove wastes from the
facility, where 9,000 drums and
220,000 gallons of liquid were aban-
doned. The completion of the Chem-
Dyne surface cleanup in September,
1983, was a major highlight of the
Region's Superfund program.
The Chem-Dyne cleanup was
largely financed by 112 companies
whose wastes were disposed of at
the site, with the State of Ohio and
EPA also contributing to the cost.
EPA used its Superfund authority to
negotiate a $2.4 million settlement
with the 112 companies, and has
sued the operators of Chem-Dyne
and major waste generators who
have refused to participate in the
cleanup.
EPA is now trying to determine the
extent and severity of soil and
groundwater contamination at the
site, with that work scheduled for
completion by the summer of 1984.
The surface cleanup of another
National Priorities List site was
completed during fiscal 1983 at the
abandoned Seymour Recycling Corp.
facility near Seymour, Indiana. More
than 250,000 gallons and 60,000
drums of hazardous wastes were
removed from the 14-acre site,
which was considered one of the
worst in the Region. This cleanup
was entirely paid for by some of the
companies whose wastes were
found at the site.
Region V experts will work during
1984 to confirm the possible exist-
ence of buried wastes at Seymour
Recycling and will also continue
studies of nearby soil and ground-
water contamination.
As the Superfund program has
matured, EPA's budget for short- and
long-term actions has increased.
Nationwide, $24.7 million was spent
in fiscal 1983 on removal actions;
$64 million was spent on the deve-
lopment of studies, plans and clean-
ups for National Priorities List sites.
During fiscal 1983, Region V
committed $10.1 million for
remedial cleanups at 28 sites. An
additional $6.6 million was obli-
gated for immediate removals at 19
sites. Region V also recovered $14.3
million in cleanup costs and
completed negotiations that will
yield more than $57.5 million for
work on 10 sites.
The Region has also helped the
states update their existing data base
on hazardous waste sites. During fis-
cal 1983, state and EPA investigators
evaluated 570 sites based on avail-
able documentation and physically
inspected 175 others. This program
is helping EPA and the states identify
sites that may need Superfund-
financed cleanups in the future.
Much work remains to be done.
More than $31 million is budgeted
for Superfund work in Region V
during fiscal 1984, and the Region
plans to provide additional cleanups
by vigorously pursuing settlements
with parties responsible for
hazardous waste sites.
Hazardous Waste:
Who Produces It...
L Transportation
equipment and motor
freight transportation: 10%
- Petroleum refining,
primary and fabricated
metals: 8%
• Machinery and electrical
machinery: 7%
• Electrical, gas and
sanitary services and
other: 4%
• Chemicals: 71%
..And How It Is Disposed Of
• Surface impoundment: 38%
- Landfill: 3%
• Land treatment: 1.4%
• Other: .6%
- Underground injection: 57%
-------
Dioxin
Almost daily, newspapers and radio
and television stations carry stories
about the poisoning of America by
hazardous chemicals.
Public concern over this contami-
nation is intense and was heightened
in February, 1983, when the govern-
ment announced that it would
relocate the residents of Times
Beach, Missouri, because of exten-
sive dioxin contamination.
Dioxin was a contaminant in
"Agent Orange," the defoliant used
by U.S. forces during the Vietnam
War. Many servicemen have reported
that their exposure to Agent Orange
has caused a variety of health
problems, but scientists are mystified
about exactly how this chemical
affects the human body.
Dioxin, or more specifically,
2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin
(2,3,7,8-TCDD) is created during
the manufacture of 2,4,5-TCP, a
chemical often used as an ingredient
in certain herbicides. It is perhaps
the most toxic man-made substance
known and poses a threat at levels
that, until recently, were too minute
to measure.
EPA is responding to public con-
cern over the effects of dioxin by de-
veloping a nationwide strategy to do
the following:
1. Determine the extent of dioxin
contamination throughout the
United States and the associated
risks to humans and the environ-
ment.
2. Clean up sites already contami-
nated by the chemical.
3. Evaluate ways of preventing
future contamination.
4. Investigate methods of destruc-
tion or disposal.
EPA will work closely with other
concerned government agencies,
including the states and the Federal
Centers for Disease Control, on this
project.
Until more research is done, EPA's
Cancer Assessment Group is regard-
ing dioxin as both an initiator and
promoter of cancer, that is, it is
thought to cause cancer in humans
and to accelerate the formation of
cancers caused by other means.
Based on its suspected carcino-
genic potency, the Agency estimates
that individuals exposed to soil or
fish tainted by dioxin could have a
significant cancer risk under certain
very limited exposure conditions.
As part of the Agency's dioxin
strategy, Region V and the states
have already begun taking soil
and fish samples at several sites
throughout the Region. First to be
sampled were locations in Michigan,
where dioxin has been found in fish
from the Tittabawasee and other
rivers.
In order to learn more about the
occurrence and distribution of dioxin,
Region V will sample a variety of
industrial areas likely to be contami-
nated, as well as "control sites"
where EPA does not believe produc-
tion or extensive use of dioxin-
contaminated products has occurred.
-------
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Just as Superfund was created
to remedy the hazardous waste
problems of the past, the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act of
1976 (RCRA) was written to prevent
such problems in the future.
Because of RCRA, EPA is actively
involved in managing hazardous
wastes from the time they are cre-
ated until their disposal or destruc-
tion. Through the use of a "cradle to
grave" waste tracking system, EPA
and the states can ensure that haz-
ardous substances are being proper-
ly handled and disposed of.
EPA also issues permits to hazard-
ous waste disposal, storage and
treatment facilities that meet Agency
standards for safe operation and
maintenance. In Region V, about
1,600 existing facilities are qualified
to legally operate until a final RCRA
permit decision is made.
Before final permits are issued,
each facility is inspected and its
operating record is reviewed.
If it is managed on-site
Region V is now evaluating the
permit applications of 166 facilities
and continues to process the
applications of others. First priority
is given to the largest facilities and
those with the most potential for
causing environmental harm.
The states, with financial help
from EPA, provide considerable as-
sistance in the RCRA permitting pro-
cess. They review applications for
completeness and accuracy, later
helping to draft the actual permits.
The RCRA permitting process
makes special efforts to see that pub-
lic opinion is reflected in the Agen-
cy's final decisions.
One of the Agency's highest
priorities is to authorize states to
operate their hazardous waste prog-
rams in place of the Federal RCRA
program. To do that, a state must
change its laws and regulations so
that they conform to, or are stricter
than. Federal laws and regulations.
TREATMENT
States are expected to qualilfy for
final authorization in 1985. All
Region V states are seeking final
authorization, which would entitle
them to administer all aspects of the
Federal RCRA program.
Part of the RCRA program involves
making sure that waste handlers are
meeting applicable standards.
Sometimes this means on-site in-
spection or the review of records and
reports. If a deficiency is found,
warning letters or compliance orders
are sent. When the violation is partic-
ularly serious, civil or criminal action
is pursued.
In fiscal 1983, EPA and the states
inspected more than 2,200 facilities
in the Region and took more than
1,250 enforcement actions. These
efforts helped bring at least 600
waste handlers back into
compliance.
TRANSPORTATION
H it is managed on-site . . .
DISPOSAL
-------
Toxic Substances
The Toxic Substances Control Act
of 1976 (TSCA) was designed to con-
trol those chemicals that present an
unreasonable risk to human health
or the environment.
The act required EPA to compile an
inventory of commercially available
chemicals and authorizes EPA to pro-
hibit or limit the manufacture, use or
disposal of particular chemicals that
present an imminent hazard to
human health or the environment.
The law also requires manufacturers
to notify EPA 90 days before begin-
ning production of a new chemical.
EPA's Region V office has develop-
ed an active inspection program to
ensure compliance with TSCA and
regulations developed under that
law. During fiscal 1983, 58 facilities
in the Region were inspected for
compliance with the premanufactu-
ring notification requirement.
EPA also requires manufacturers
and processors to report information
on the production and use of about
250 chemicals that may cause occu-
pational or public health problems or
environmental damage.
Of immediate concern to EPA are
two substances regulated under
TSCA—asbestos and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs). At one time both of
these chemicals were widely used
because of their desirable physical
and chemical properties. Their use
was restricted after it was learned
that they are persistent in the envi-
ronment and can cause severe
health problems. Asbestos is a carci-
nogen, and PCBs can cause skin,
liver and reproductive disorders.
CAUTION
k CONTAINS
\ PCBs
I {Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
SA toxic environmental conraminanr requiring
special handling and disposal in accordance wirh
I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regulations
S40 CFR 761 —For Disposal Information contact
rhe nearest U. 5. E.P.A. Office.
In case of accident or spill, call rolt free rhe U.S.
Coasr Guard Narional Response Center
S 600:424-6602
SAIso Contact
Tel No.
PC 6 LAflELMASTtH CHICAGO.
-------
Asbestos
In order to carry out its duties under
the Toxic Substances Control Act,
EPA administers an asbestos control
program in schools throughout the
Nation.
The program is designed to limit
the exposure of students, teachers
and staff to asbestos fibers from
deteriorating ceiling tiles or sprayed-
on insulation.
The 1982 EPA "Asbestos in
Schools" rule requires school dis-
tricts to check each of their schools
for the presence of friable asbestos,
easily crumbled fibers that were pop-
ular between 1940 and 1973 as fire-
proofing and insulation materials. If
friable asbestos is present, school
districts must notify parents, teach-
ers and school employees. Typically,
school districts seal, encase or
remove the asbestos.
Asbestos is valued for its heat re-
sistant and indestructible qualities,
but it can pose a significant danger to
human health if it is not completely
sealed in a product. Otherwise, it can
break into tiny fibers that float almost
indefinitely in the air. These fibers
are smaller and more buoyant than
ordinary dust particles and therefore
are easily inhaled and swallowed.
The presence of asbestos particles
in the body can cause lung cancer
and asbestosis, a chronic lung dis-
ease that makes breathing increas-
ingly difficult and, in severe cases,
can cause death. Some fibers are ex-
pelled by the lungs; others remain in
the body indefinitely and can result in
other types of cancers that develop
15 to 40 years after the first expo-
sure. Mesothelioma, one such dis-
ease, is a cancer of the membranes
that line the chest and abdomen. It
almost never occurs in people who
have not been exposed to asbestos,
and it is always fatal.
To safeguard children and school
workers, EPA requires each school
Asbestos In Schools
Program Progress
i*m
Total No.
Of Public
Schools
Public
Schools
Inspected
Public Schools
Needing Correc-
tive Action
Total No. Of
Non-Public
Schools
Non-Public
Schools
Inspected
Non-Public
Schools Needing
Corrective Action
Corrective Action
Taken
ILL.
4,166
4,092
988
1,343
1,330
296
689
IND.
2,057
2,057
246
498
498
27
144
MICH.
3,912
3,856
276
1,007
873
84
204
MINN.
1,677
1,637
401
544
514
184
265
OHIO
4,102
4,040
860
936
819
178
490
wisclX
2,083
2,079
713
945
928
381
657
system to inspect all of its schools for
friable asbestos and to maintain
records of these inspections.
Region V helps school districts
by conducting asbestos workshops
and providing technical expertise.
In addition, a program coordinator in
each state helps school districts
meet their obligations under the
"Asbestos in Schools" rule.
Most of 23,270 schools in the
Region were inspected between
1979 and 1982, when EPA operated
a voluntary asbestos program for
schools. Of the 22,723 schools
inspected, approximately 4,634
required corrective measures.
EPA inspection of 42 school
districts in Region V revealed that
about 80 percent of the inspected
districts are not complying with the
regulations. Noted were improper
recordkeeping practices, improper
sampling and testing programs and
failure to notify and warn officials
and parents that friable asbestos
was present. EPA also discovered
that some districts had taken
improper corrective action, resulting
in the continued presence of
asbestos in schools.
Region V specialists, along with
members of the American Associa-
tion of Retired Persons, will inspect
an additional 250 school districts
in fiscal years 1984 and 1985.
EPA will fund the efforts of the
retired persons' association.
-------
Pesticides
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide
and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) charges
EPA with controlling the manufac-
ture, distribution and use of the 800
million pounds of pesticides used in
the United States each year. Because
20 percent of those pesticides are
manufactured and used in the Mid-
west, this Region has a major role in
the enforcement of the act.
When properly used, pesticides
can control disease-carrying insects
and minimize crop damage. How-
ever, these same chemicals are also
poisons that can endanger man, ani-
mals and the environment if used
improperly.
Region V is responsible for seeing
that pesticides are used safely and
properly in its six states and that
manufacturers comply with their re-
sponsibilities under the law. The
Pesticides Section of the Waste
Management Division:
1. Monitors pesticide use by pro-
fessional pest control operators,
aerial applicators, homeowners,
industry officials, and farmers.
2. Protects the public by ordering
manufacturers to stop sales of
pesticides when products
violate the terms of the law.
3. Assesses monetary civil penal-
ties for major violations of FIFRA.
4. Supervises state inspections of
the 3,200 pesticide manufactur-
ers in the Region.
5. Oversees state-administered
pesticide compliance programs.
All pesticides used in the United
States must be registered with EPA.
In order to obtain a registration,
a manufacturer must provide the
Agency with information regarding
the pesticide's contents, toxicity,
persistence in the environment,
short- and long-term environmental
effects, safety and use, and effects
on humans and the environment.
Before registering a pesticide,
EPA is required to determine whether
the product can perform its intended
function without causing "unrea-
sonable adverse effects" on human
health or the environment.
EPA and the states collect and
analyze pesticides to see that they
are labeled in accordance with the
registration they have been given by
the Agency. It is illegal to use a pesti-
cide for purposes, or in a manner,
other than specifically directed on
the label. In fiscal 1983, Region V
issued 21 "Stop Sale" orders
Four pesticides that will be
closely monitored by EPA in 1984
because of their adverse effects
on humans or wildlife are:
EDB
Ethylene dibromide. The registration for
this substance for soil fumigation was
suspended September 28, 1983 because
of reported groundwater contamination
incidents and health hazards for workers
using the compund.
Strychnine
A rodenticide which is poisoning some
endangered species in the western United
States. The Agency is proposing to cancel
uses which cause these effects, but may
allow other uses to continue.
Lindane
An insecticide typically used in agriculture
but also an ingredient in smoke fumigation
devices and in flea dips for dogs. The latter
two uses are no longer allowed.
2,4,5-T/Silvex
EPA is taking action to cancel all remaining
uses of these herbicides.
because products were improperly
labeled—in some cases due to
inaccurate antidote instructions.
Seven manufacturers also agreed, at
EPA's request, to recall certain
products from the market in fiscal
1983 because of serious FIFRA
violations.
When attempts to work with a
manufacturer fail, or when a particu-
larly serious violation of FIFRA
occurs, EPA may assess monetary
civil penalties. The Region V Pesti-
cides Section proposed 106 such
penalties in 1983.
FIFRA requires that certain highly
toxic pesticides be used only by, or
under the supervision of, applicators
who have been certified by the EPA
or by states with an EPA-approved
pesticides program. By October 1,
1983, there were 138,000 certified
private applicators and 53,000
commercial applicators in Region V.
The pesticides Section has played a
major role in helping all of its states
assume responsibility for the
certification programs.
Along with certification, FIFRA
authorizes EPA to delegate pesticides
enforcement functions to the states.
All six states in Region V, with the
aid of EPA grants, have developed
enforcement programs and are now
assuming primary enforcement
responsibilities under FIFRA.
Future work by the Pesticides
Section will include laboratory audits
to guarantee the accuracy of data
submitted by pesticide manufactur-
ers, monitoring of pesticide importers
and exporters, continued oversight of
state enforcement and certification
programs, and the close monitoring
of certain pesticides.
-------
WATER QUALITY
When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1 972,
its objective was "to restore and maintain the chemical,
physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters.'
To this end, the Act sought "fishable, swimmable"
waters throughout the country by July 1, 1 983, and
an end to pollution of navigable waters by 1 985.
-------
These goals are ambitious ones,
and have not yet been entirely
achieved. However, Region V water
quality experts have worked closely
with the six states to control the flow
of municipal and industrial wastes to
the Great Lakes and other waters.
EPA has helped to finance municipal
sewage treatment plants otherwise
beyond the reach of some towns and
cities and has assisted the states in
developing management plans for
their streams, lakes, and rivers.
To achieve the goals of the Clean
Water Act, Congress required all dis-
chargers to apply for and receive per-
mits that significantly limit the
amounts and kinds of pollutants they
can discharge into navigable waters.
This pollution control program,
known as the National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES), required all dischargers
to treat their wastewater so that it
meets certain basic standards. Each
state in Region V has been autho-
rized by EPA to run the NPDES
program and is in charge of issuing
permits and ensuring compliance
with them.
Nearly 1,500 major dischargers in
Region V now hold NPDES permits,
with 92 percent of them in comp-
liance with those permits.
Because municipal wastewater
can be just as damaging to water
quality as industrial effluent, the
Clean Water Act expanded an exist-
ing construction grants program to
help municipalities build or improve
sewage treatment facilities. Projects
funded range from sewer rehabilita-
tion to sophisticated treatment
plants handling hundreds of millions
of gallons of sewage each day.
Before any project is funded, it is
reviewed for cost effectiveness and
environmental compatibility.
Region V awarded $753.4 million
in construction grants during fiscal
1983 to help local governments build
wastewater treatment plants and
other facilities designed to improve
water quality. Two hundred and ten
projects were completed during that
year, and 140 more are planned for
fiscal 1984, when the Region ex-
pects to award $782 million in
grants.
EPA CONSTRUCTION GRANTS, FY 83
Illinois
Minnesota
Wisconsin
100 150
Millions of Dollars
250
-------
Detroit sewage, once the single
largest contributor to the eutrophica-
tion of Lake Erie, is being effectively
treated to meet conventional pollu-
tion control requirements. Construc-
tion of treatment plants such as De-
troit's have helped reopen beaches
and return fish to previously barren
waters throughout the Region.
Despite significant improvements
in many areas, many of the Region's
waterways still have pollution prob-
lems. Fish consumption remains
banned or restricted on portions of the
Lower Great Lakes and on the Grand,
Tittabawasee and Fox Rivers. Con-
taminated sediments have caused
poor water quality and have restrict-
ed sports and recreational activities
on segments of the Mahoning,
Chicago, Cuyahoga and Ashtabula
Rivers.
Of special concern to EPA are
industries that discharge harmful
chemicals into the Region's streams,
lakes and rivers. Some industries
are improperly routing toxic chemi-
cals through municipal wastewater
treatment systems, often with
disastrous consequences to the
treatment plants and the streams
into which they discharge. Because
of these toxicants, more than 100
municipalities in the Region have
sludge contamination problems.
EPA and the states have identified
330 industries and 485 municipali-
ties which discharge, or are likely to
discharge, toxic chemicals. Control-
ling toxicants will be an important
activity during 1984, as Region V
works with the states to identify
violations of water quality standards,
assemble data, develop testing
The Northeastern Ohio Regional Sewer District's Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cleveland
requirements and define allowable
levels of these chemicals in waste-
water. EPA is also helping the states
develop pretreatment programs that
limit industrial discharges of certain
chemicals into municipal sewer
systems.
Sometimes industries violate the
terms of their NPDES permits,
discharging substances that kill fish
or contaminate public water
supplies. When this happens, EPA
has several enforcement options.
In fiscal 1983, Region V referred nine
cases to the Department of Justice
for prosecution—the most serious
step the Agency can take. The Region
also issued 21 legally binding
administrative orders to force
compliance with water quality
standards, while the individual states
also took action to make sure that
dischargers complied with the Clean
Water Act.
State and Federal initiatives,
coupled with construction grants,
helped reduce noncompliance rates
by 47 percent for municipalities and
65 percent for industries during
fiscal 1983.
Industries and municipal discharg-
ers—called point sources—are major
contributors to the Region's water
quality problems, but they're not the
only ones. Nonpoint sources, such as
urban and agricultural runoff and
septic tank seepage, also have a
tremendous impact. EPA believes
that water quality problems in many
areas will persist unless these non-
point sources are effectively
controlled.
-------
During the past 10 years, Region V
has worked with the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, several major
universities and a number of local
soil conservation districts to evaluate
the impact of nonpoint source pollu-
tion and to develop methods for its
control. EPA's Great Lakes National
Program Office, located in Chicago,
has actively encouraged the use of
farming methods that reduce soil
erosion. In addition, the states of
Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio have de-
veloped their own programs
designed to minimize pollution from
nonpoint sources.
Region V also helped states docu-
ment basic water quality in their
streams, lakes and rivers and pro-
vided more than $138,000 in fiscal
1983 to help restore and protect pub-
licly owned lakes. Ten of 27 lake re-
storation projects begun in 1976 are
now complete.
The most ambitious lake restora-
tion project in the Region took place
at Lake Lansing, Michigan, where
rich bottom sediments were dredged
to remove the nutrients upon which
algae and weeds were thriving. This
project was completed in fiscal 1983
at a cost of about $4 million.
A special emphasis in 1984 will
be to improve the quality of the Grand
Calumet River and Indiana Harbor in
the Gary, Indiana, area. The Region
plans to reduce harmful industrial
and municipal wastewater dis-
charges through aggressive monitor-
ing and enforcement and will work
to find environmentally sound
methods of dredging the heavily
contaminated sediments of the
harbor and ship canal.
Region V has always been a leader
in helping its states develop pollution
control programs and in encourag-
ing the states to assume active roles
in managing environmental issues.
Michigan was the first state in the
country to assume full responsibility
for a NPDES program, Illinois for con-
struction grants and Minnesota for
pretreatment. All Region V states
now fully operate their NPDES per-
mit programs; five of the six operate
all or part of their construction grants
programs and four are preparing to
operate pretreatment programs.
Michigan will soon become the first
state in the Region to operate its own
wetlands protection program.
In addition to the construction
grants and other financial help,
Region V provided $35.8 million in
fiscal 1983 to help the states run
their water quality programs.
-------
Wetlands
Region V is also acting to protect
its remaining wetlands, which are
vital to the growth and maintenance
of a healthy environment. These
low-lying swamp and marsh areas
nurture young fish and animals and
are nature's way of controlling
erosion and floods.
For too long, wetlands were
viewed only as another obstacle to
development and growth. They were
filled in and paved over to such an
extent that only 30 percent of the
Nation's wetlands still exist.
In order to minimize damage to
wetlands, Region V routinely reviews
applications for U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers "dredge and fill" permits.
At EPA's direction, the Corps can
modify, restrict or refuse to grant
permits for projects that will damage,
or are likely to damage, valuable
swamps and marshes.
Region V suggested permit
changes that saved 380 acres of wet-
lands from destruction during fiscal
Surface
Application
of Partially
Treated
Wastewater
Interaction
with Vegetation
High Quality
Wetlands
Effluent
Wetland
^'&^^Q:?^:--*:-^'-'^--:-----,?.
1983—a 91 percent reduction from
the 416 acres that would have been
destroyed if the permits had been
granted without EPA's comments.
EPA is also working with the states
to identify and protect the Region's
unique wetlands.
Although wetlands are fragile
environments that should be pro-
tected, EPA feels there are ways in
which man can use these natural
systems to help with his own envi-
ronmental problems. As a result.
Region V is studying ways of using
wetlands to enhance traditional
wastewater treatment processes.
After sewage has been treated by
normal means, the purified waste-
water can be discharged into a
swamp for further refinement. As the
water soaks through the soil and
vegetation, many remaining conta-
minants are filtered out before the
water finds its way into underground
aquifers or surface lakes and
streams.
One of the more successful exper-
iments in wetlands wastewater
treatment is taking place at Hough-
ton Lake, Michigan. As many as one
million gallons of treated effluent are
released each day into a 500-acre
marsh near the town's sewage treat-
ment plant.
Because of the complexity of na-
tural systems, the use of wetlands
for wastewater treatment purposes
must be carefully designed and mon-
itored. It is most suitable for small
communities with a relatively small
volume of effluent. Region V experts
are now developing an environ-
mental impact statement on the en-
gineering, ecological and legal as-
pects of using wetlands for waste
treatment purposes.
-------
Drinking and Groundwater Quality
Even though the United States is
generally known for the purity and
safety of its drinking water, several
thousand Americans become ill
each year from contaminated
water. To protect the public from
such health hazards, Congress
passed the Safe Drinking Water
Act in 1974. The act was the first
legislation to call for nationally
enforceable drinking water
standards.
Regulations issued in 1975 set
limits on bacteriological, chemical
and physical contaminants in drink-
ing water. Schedules were estab-
lished for routinely detecting and
treating those contaminants in all
water systems regularly serving
more than 25 people.
EPA reviews drinking water
regulations at least once every
three years, as the Safe Drinking
Water Act requires, and changes
them when necessary. As part of
that process, EPA has proposed
new standards to more adequately
safeguard public health from the
threat of toxic compounds. If the
proposed standards are adopted,
public water systems will have to
expand their detection and
treatment programs to include
volatile organic chemicals and
particularly hazardous substances
such as asbestos and PCBs.
Region V provides technical help
and money to public water systems
and the states so that they can
comply with the regulations and
improve the quality of their water.
Region V provided $4.7 million in
grants for this purpose during fiscal
1983 and has given Illinois,
Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and
Wisconsin primary responsibility
for their public water supply
programs. Ninety-four percent of
the Region's 8,300 community
water systems are providing water
that meets the requirements of the
Safe Drinking Water Act.
Groundwater, which is the
source of potable water for 50
percent of Americans, is normally
of better quality and requires less
treatment than surface water.
However, it is especially vulnerable
to many types of pollution,
including leaking hazardous waste
injection wells. A 1981 survey of
the Nation's groundwater indicated
that a significant number of
drinking water sources are
contaminated by volatile synthetic
organic chemicals.
-------
Pump
Unit
Outlet
Region V officials are especially
concerned about this type of conta-
mination and have begun a 10-year
program in which every underground
community water supply in the six
states will be tested for volatile
synthetic organics.
Wells in urban industrial areas,
near hazardous waste disposal sites,
or in areas susceptible to contamina-
tion will receive first priority.
When chemicals are found in
levels that could pose a health risk
to people drinking the water, EPA
will work with the states to find an
uncontaminated water source or to
treat the groundwater until it is
acceptable under the Safe Drinking
Water Act.
During fiscal 1983, approx-
imately nine percent of all under-
ground drinking water sources in
the Region were tested. The states
of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio
have already begun their own
testing programs for volatile
synthetic organics, and the Region
intends to supplement the work of
those and other states by providing
funds and laboratory assistance as
necessary.
In order to protect underground
water supplies, EPA requires states
to implement underground injection
control programs. These programs
require the licensing of underground
hazardous waste injection wells to
ensure that they don't poison drink-
ing water supplies.
Region V water quality personnel
worked with the states of Wisconsin,
Illinois and Ohio during fiscal 1983
to help them develop underground
injection well programs compatible
with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Region V is administering the pro-
grams in the other three states.
Because of Congressional concern
during fiscal 1983 about the integrity
of hazardous waste injection wells.
Region V participated in a special
program to evaluate the regulations
governing the operation and con-
struction of those wells. Data gather-
ed by the regions will be used by EPA
to make recommendations on how
hazardous waste injection wells
can be made safer.
Drinking water well.
-------
GREAT LAKES
The Midwest has been graced with many resources, but none
more dominant or life-sustaining than the Great Lakes.
From the deep and turbulent Superior to the heavily traveled
Ontario, the five lakes are the conduit through which much
of the Nation's commerce moves.
Freighters carry iron ore from the mines of Duluth across
Lakes Superior and Michigan to the steel mills of Gary,
while grain from the Nation's "breadbasket" is shipped to
the Mississippi and St. Lawrence Rivers for export.
-------
In addition to steel mills and
ports, the lakes support recreational
and fishing industries with combined
total revenues of more than $1.1
billion a year.
Despite their awe-inspiring size,
the lakes are especially sensitive to
environmental insult. Only one
percent of the water entering the
Great Lakes system flows out the
St. Lawrence River in any single year,
leaving toxic pollutants to accumu-
late in bottom sediments or fish.
Municipal sewage, toxicants,
industrial wastes and agricultural
runoff have all contributed to the
dramatic decline of the lakes. The
most obvious problems were clearly
apparent during the 1960's, when
rotting fish, bobbing debris, and
algae-choked waters shocked the
international community into action.
Since then, EPA has worked to
restore the lakes to their original
grandeur. EPA's Chicago-based
Great Lakes National Program Office,
working closely with Region V's
Water Division, tracks compliance
with 1972 and 1978 U.S.-Canada
Great Lakes water quality agree-
ments. Those agreements mandate
cooperative pollution control and
research efforts in order to protect
and improve water quality in the
Great Lakes.
The U.S. and Canada have spent
more than $7.6 billion since 1972 to
construct and upgrade municipal
sewage treatment facilities in the
Great Lakes Basin. Three hundred
and ninety plants in the basin now
are effectively treating 97 percent of
the sewage, with a corresponding
improvement in water quality.
Industrial discharges into the lakes
are now limited and monitored by the
states and EPA water quality person-
nel. EPA has established a compre-
hensive data gathering network to
measure pollutants in the water,
fish, sediments and air of the Great
Lakes ecosystem.
EPA also has helped identify 25
key "areas of concern" in the U.S.
where the use of Great Lakes
water is limited because of its poor
quality. These areas are divided
into two classes: Class A, where
environmental degradation and
impairment of beneficial uses is
severe; and Class B, where some
environmental degradation is
obvious and where uses may be
impaired. These sites are illustrated
in the accompanying map.
In 1984, the Great Lakes National
Program Office will begin an inten-
sive survey of the Detroit River, a
Class A area of concern. The river's
sediments are contaminated by PCBs
and mercury—a situation that makes
fish consumption restrictions man-
datory. Recreational use of some
parts of the river is limited because
of sewage overflows and poor water
quality. EPA, working with the
State of Michigan, will determine
what special measures are needed
to restore water quality in the river.
The Great Lakes National Program
office uses its research vessel, the
Roger R. Simons, to assist in gather-
ing data. During fiscal 1983, the ship
cruised Lakes Michigan, Huron, and
Erie. EPA scientists sampled the
water and biota, using the on-board
laboratory to check for biological acti-
vity and water chemistry.
Guided by the surveillance plan
developed by the International
Joint Commission (IJC), EPA is
using the Roger R. Simons to
regularly assess conditions in the
lakes and to detect year-to-year
-------
Wetland
Canal
This photograph documents the flow of
phosphorus into the U. S. waters of Lake
Ontario. The white and grey colors indicate
land, while bright blue, aquamarine, yellow,
green, red and pink indicate varying concentra-
tions of phosphorus. The blue shades signify
the presence of phosphorus in amounts less
than 1 milligram of phosphorus to 1 liter of
water. The pink signifies the presence of phos-
phorus in amounts greater than 2.41 milligrams
per liter.
changes. The IJC is a six-member
board established by the U.S. and
Canada in 1909 to protect the
waters shared by both countries.
As required by the U.S.-Canada
Great Lakes Water Quality Agree-
ment of 1978, EPA keeps an inven-
tory of dischargers into the lakes and
reports anually on their compliance
records.
The Great Lakes program office
also acts as support staff for Region V
Administrator Valdas V. Adamkus in
his role as the Great Lakes National
Program Manager and the U.S.
cochairman of the U.S.-Canada
Water Quality Board.
PHOSPHORUS
Phosphates historically have been
the biggest environmental insult to
the Great Lakes. Phosphates, which
come from fertilizer-laden agricul-
tural runoff and industrial and
municipal wastes, stimulate the
growth of algae and deprive lake
water of the diffused oxygen necces-
sary to support aquatic life.
Considerable progress has been
made in controlling phosphorus
pollution in the Great Lakes since the
passage of the 1972 Clean Water
Act. Bans on phosphates in deter-
gents, along with a vastly improved
and expanded network of sewage
treatment plants, have resulted
in a dramatic decline of phosphorus
discharges to the Great Lakes.
Twelve years ago, EPA ordered the
cities of Detroit and Cleveland to
reduce their heavy phosphorus dis-
charges into Lake Erie. The Detroit
wastewater treatment plant now
complies with the international
standard for phosphorus, and Cleve-
land is close to compliance. The over-
all amount of phosphorus going into
Lake Erie from municipalities has
dropped from 6,700 tons annually in
1975 to 2,700 tons annually in 1981.
Because of reductions such as these,
U.S. wastewater treatment plants
meet the international standard for
phosphorus.
The problem of phosphorus
pollution from agricultural runoff,
however, has yet to be solved.
Demonstration projects funded by
the Great Lakes National Program
Office have shown that soil conser-
vation practices, especially minimum
tillage, are effective in reducing the
erosion of phosphorus-laden topsoil.
EPA believes that low-cost soil
conservation practices, existing
water pollution control regulations
and detergent phosphate limits will
effectively protect the Great Lakes
from excess phosphorus.
Although phosphorus, sewage and
industrial effluent have been signifi-
cantly reduced, another type of
pollution threatens the long-term
well-being of the lakes and the
people who use them. Toxic sub-
stances such as PCBs and DDT are
ubiquitous in the Great Lakes Basin
and are emerging as its most critical
problem.
But PCBs and DDT are only two of
the nearly 1,000 contaminants that
have been found. Control programs
have helped reduce the concentra-
tions of some of these chemicals in
area plants and animals, but sport
and commercial fishing industries
are threatened.
Contaminant levels in most large
Great Lakes fish exceed U.S. Food
and Drug Administration limits for
commercial sale, and sports fisher-
men in all of the lakes are advised to
avoid or restrict their consumption of
certain kinds of fish.
-------
Areas of Concern
LAKE MICHIGAN
Fox River/Southern Green Bay, Wisconsin
Milwaukee Estuary, Wisconsin
Waukegan Harbor, Illinois
Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Canal, Indiana
St. Clair, Michigan / Ontario
Detroit River, Michigan
Rouge River, Michigan
Raisin River, Michigan
Maumee River, Ohio
Black River, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Ashtabula, Ohio
LAKE ONTARIO
Buffalo River, New York
Niagra River, New York
Hamilton Harbor, Ontario
Cornwall-Massena,
Ontario-New York
LAKE SUPERIOR
* St. Louis River, Minnesota
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Nipigon Bay, Ontario
Jackfish Bay, Onatario
Peninsula Harbour, Ontario
Class A
Class B
LAKE MICHIGAN
Manistique River, Michigan
Menominee River, Michigan
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Muskegon Lake, Michigan
White Lake Montaque, Michigan
Clinton River, Michigan
> Wheatley Harbour, Ontario
LAKE ONTARIO
LAKE HURON
Spanish River Mouth, Ontario
Eighteen Mile Creek, New York
Rochester Embayment, New York
Oswego, New York
Toronto Waterfront, Ontario
Port Hope, Ontario
Bay of Quinte, Ontario
Penetary Bay to Sturgeon Bay, Ontario
Collingwood Harbour, Ontario
-------
LAKE SUPERIOR
Lake Superior, the largest, deepest
and cleanest of the Great Lakes, has
not entirely escaped pollution.
Taconite mining residues, similar to
asbestos particles, have been found
in the drinking water of communities
on the western shores of the lake,
forcing them to install filtration
plants for the first time.
PCB levels in lake trout still exceed
the standards in the 1978 U.S.-Can-
ada agreement, although levels of
toxicants in herring gull eggs appear
to be falling.
Eutrophication is not considered to
be a serious environmental problem
in Lake Superior.
LAKE MICHIGAN
Lake Michigan, the only one of the
Great Lakes entirely within the U.S.,
has serious contamination prob-
lems, partly because of the large
amounts of PCBs discharged into
Waukegan Harbor at Waukegan,
Illinois, over a period of many years.
Because it is a long, narrow cul-de-
sac. Lake Michigan requires a longer
period to flush itself of contami-
nants than do most of the other lakes.
Lake Michigan trout still contain
the highest levels of PCBs and DDT in
the Great Lakes system, except for
Lake Ontario, and exceed U.S. Food
and Drug Administration limits for
commercial sale. Consumption ad-
visories for sports fishermen are in
effect in many parts of the lake.
Serious water pollution problems
persist near certain metropolitan
areas, most notably in the vicinity of
Indiana Harbor.
Class A areas of concern are:
Southern Green Bay, the Milwaukee
Estuary, Wisconsin; Waukegan
Harbor, Illinois; and the Grand
Calumet-Indiana Harbor, Indiana,
area.
-------
LAKE HURON
With the exception of Lake Superior,
Lake Huron is the least polluted of
the lakes. However, discharges into
the Saginaw River have made the
Saginaw Bay area a Class A area
of concern.
Fish consumption bans are in
effect for portions of the Saginaw
River because of PCBs, PBBs and
dioxin, and a fish consumption
advisory is in effect for southern Lake
Huron and Saginaw Bay. The bay has
recently shown substantial improve-
ment, mainly because of effective
municipal wastewater treatment.
But existing pollutants and a lack of
controls on agricultural runoff
complicate water quality problems
there.
LAKE ERIE
With an average depth of only 58
feet, Lake Erie has the smallest vol-
ume of water and is the shallowest of
the Great Lakes. Since its drainage
basin contains the largest population
and is heavily industrialized, it is not
surprising that Lake Erie has faced
the most severe and widely
publicized pollution problems.
At one time in the mid-1960's,
massive algae blooms choked off
oxygen to 65 percent of the lake's
bottom water. Pollution, overfishing
and other factors nearly decimated
the lake's most desirable species
of fish.
Many lakeshore beaches were
closed because of pollution caused
by untreated sewage and masses
of algae.
Considerable progress has been
made since then, especially in
reducing municipal and industrial
discharges.
Municipal dischargers are now
complying with international phos-
phorus limits, and many area coun-
ties are encouraging farmers to use
no-till methods that will reduce soil
losses, resulting in improved water
quality and reduced farming costs.
Seven areas of concern affect Lake
Erie. They are located on the Rouge,
Detroit, Raisin, Maumee, Black,
Ashtabula and Cuyahoga rivers.
LAKE ONTARIO
Since most of Lake Ontario's water
comes from Lake Erie and the heavily
polluted Niagara River, this lake is
the most contaminated. It ranks only
behind Lake Erie as the lake with the
most phosphorus loading.
Portions of the eastern end of the
lake have suffered oxygen depletion
because of nutrients entering Lake
Ontario from the Bay of Quinte.
Although its water quality is better
than Lake Erie's, Lake Ontario
suffers from accelerated eutrophi-
cation due to excess phosphorus
loading and toxic contamination.
Industry has spilled Mirex and other
toxic substances into the Niagara
River and Lake Ontario, resulting in
a fish consumption advisory for fish
caught in both U.S. and Canadian
waters of the lake.
As in Lake Erie, some improve-
ment has been made, but continued
efforts are necessary. To a consider-
able extent, improvement in Lake
Ontario depends on improvement in
Lake Erie.
In the U.S., the Class A area of
concern affecting Lake Ontario is the
Niagara River, where much improve-
ment is expected when existing
pollution control programs are fully
implemented.
-------
AIR QUALITY
The Clean Air Act of 1 970 directed EPA to establish
air quality standards to protect human health and
the environment. The Act made the states primarily
responsible for controlling pollution to achieve
those standards.
-------
There are two types of air quality
standards that affect the residents
of Region V: primary and secondary
National Ambient Air Quality
Standards. The primary standards
protect public health, while the
secondary standards protect public
welfare as measured by the effect
of air pollution on vegetation,
materials and visibility.
The pollutants for which air quality
standards have been established are
total suspended particulates, sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon
monoxide, ozone (smog) and lead. In
addition, EPA regulates the emission
of certain hazardous air pollutants,
such as asbestos and vinyl chloride.
Although the air in Region V is
markedly cleaner than it was when
the Clean Air Act was passed, pollu-
tion problems are far from being
solved.
High summertime levels of ozone,
caused by factory and automobile
emissions, remain the most per-
vasive air pollution problem in the
Region. Although Region V has an
aggressive program to control the
hydrocarbon emissions that create
ozone problems, about 32 million
people in the six-state area remain
affected by unacceptable levels of
this toxic gas.
Sulfur dioxide, produced mainly
by coal-fired power plants, is still a
pollution problem in many areas.
More than seven million people in
the Region remain exposed to
unacceptable concentrations of
this compound, which is a major
contributor to acid rain.
Carbon monoxide, deadly in high
concentrations and, like ozone,
mostly a product of car and truck
exhausts, is a problem in the
Region's large cities. The cities of
Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland,
Minneapolis, and St. Paul all
exceeded carbon monoxide
pollution standards in 1983.
Air pollution by soot and dust par-
ticles has been reduced in the Region
by one-third. The reduction of these
pollutants, grouped together and
known as "Total Suspended Partic-
ulates (TSP)," was achieved through
the use of pollution control tech-
nology and cleaner fuels.
Region V and its states have
signed important air pollution
control agreements with steel
mills, chemical manufacturers,
utilities, grain terminal operators
and municipalities. Even though 90
percent of the 4,500 major
industrial air pollution sources in
the Region are in compliance with
clean air regulations, seven million
people continue to be exposed to
excessive amounts of TSP. Because
most stack sources have already
been controlled, EPA is now
emphasizing the control of dust
from coal storage piles, roads,
parking lots, and construction sites.
EPA also encourages states and in-
dustry to use environmental audit-
ing, continuous in-stack emissions
monitoring, and improved inspection
programs to improve the Region's
air quality.
Of special concern to Region V air
quality officials are certain national
parks and wilderness areas whose
air must, by law, be protected from
degradation. The four such areas in
Region V are: Isle Royale National
Park in Lake Superior, the Seney
Wilderness Area in Michigan, and
the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
and Voyageurs National Park in
Minnesota. Industrial growth and
energy development near some of
these areas are making it difficult to
assure continued pristine air quality.
EPA is closely monitoring state
programs designed to-protect these
sensitive areas.
The Region continued its vigorous
enforcement of the Clean Air Act
during 1983, initiating half of EPA's
air pollution enforcement actions
nationwide.
EPA's emphasis is on
working with states to achieve
cleaner air. The threat of sanctions,
such as the withholding of Federal
highway funds, has produced con-
flict in the past between clean air and
economic growth. The Agency's
revised sanctions policy will not
penalize those states that have made
sincere efforts to comply with the
Clean Air Act, even if they did not
meet the deadlines for doing so.
Implementing this new sanctions
policy in 1984 with minimal harm to
the Midwest's fragile economy is
going to be a major challenge for
Region V.
-------
Inspection and Maintenance
Tampering and Fuel Switching
The control of industrial pollution has
dramatically improved the Region's
air quality, but in some areas, these
efforts have not been enough. The air
in several cities remains dirtier than
the Clean Air Act allows, largely
because of automobile emissions.
Cars and light trucks are the
source of two of the most pervasive
air pollutants in the United States—
carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.
Carbon monoxide is harmful because
it reduces the oxygen available to the
brain and body cells and puts an extra
burden on the heart and lungs.
Hydrocarbons themselves are gene-
rally not harmful, but they react with
sunlight and another pollutant,
nitrogen oxide, to create smog. The
main constituent of smog, ozone, is
a severe respiratory irritant.
To control these pollutants in
cities that could not meet clean air
standards by the end of 1982, EPA
required certain states to develop
vehicle inspection and maintenance
programs. These programs are
designed to check the effectiveness
of emission control systems on cars
and light trucks. Often these systems
do not work properly because of
maladjustments and inadequate
maintenance, tampering, and the
use of leaded gas in cars designed
for unleaded fuels.
Wisconsin and Indiana are starting
inspection and maintenance prog-
rams in the Milwaukee, Gary and
Louisville areas. Illinois and Michi-
gan have both agreed to begin testing
vehicles in the Chicago, East St. Louis
and Detroit areas. It is possible that
Ohio will have to do the same in
Cleveland and Cincinnati.
The inspection programs make car
and light truck owners responsible
for taking whatever action is needed
to bring the emissions control system
into compliance with EPA regu-
lations. Testing programs in several
states have shown that only about 15
to 30 percent of cars require repairs,
with those repairs typically ranging
in cost from $18 to $35. The most
common repairs are carburetor ad-
justments, spark plug replacement,
choke adjustments, air filter replace-
ment and idle speed adjustment.
Older cars are not expected to meet
the same standards as newer models
with sophisticated controls.
The pass/fail standards for each
model year are set to be within the
design capability of the automobile.
Some states set cost limits on repairs
so that drivers of older cars will not
have to undertake expensive repair
work such as ring or valve jobs.
The State of New Jersey, which
has the oldest inspection and main-
tenance program in the country,
has recorded a 28 percent decrease
in carbon monoxide levels. State
officials attribute this to vehicular
inspections coupled with the
increasingly stringent new car emis-
sions standards required by EPA.
EPA hopes to supplement the air
quality gains of the vehicle inspection
and maintenance program with
another initiative designed to deter
people from illegally tampering with
or removing the emissions control
systems on their vehicles. The
Agency is also cracking down on
fuel switching—the use of leaded
fuel in cars requiring lead-free gas.
During fiscal 1983, EPA proposed
$5.3 million in penalties against
10 Chicago-area gasoline retailers
and seven distributors who allegedly
sold leaded gasoline as unleaded.
One penalty, against a Palatine,
Illinois, petroleum company, was
$4 million—the largest single
penalty ever proposed for violations
of the Federal unleaded, fuel
regulations.
Use of leaded gasoline in cars
designed for unleaded can damage
their catalytic converters and
increase tailpipe emissions 200 to
800 percent.
More than one million tons of
hydrocarbons and 12 million tons of
carbon monoxide spewed from the
tailpipes of cars with defective
emissions control systems during
fiscal 1983.
EPA is encouraging all states to
adopt their own laws prohibiting
tampering and fuel switching.
Meanwhile, the Agency will continue
to seek out and prosecute those who
violate the Clean Air Act.
-------
Acid Rain
As research continues to document
the existence and consequences of
acid rain, Region V is actively work-
ing to help develop strategies for its
control.
Acid Rain is formed when nitrogen
and sulfur oxides from fossil fuel
combustion react with oxygen and
water vapor in the air to form nitric
and sulfuric acids. These acids return
to Earth in rain, snow, sleet or hail.
Even in the most pristine envi-
ronment, rain is naturally acidic
because carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere reacts with rain to
produce carbonic acid. That amount
of acidity is enough to release
minerals from the Earth's crust for
plant and animal use, yet it is not
enough to cause ecological damage.
Precipitation falling in the North-
east and other parts of the country is
routinely five to 50 times more acidic
than normal. Acid rain gradually
lowers the pH of soil and water,
causing the soil to leach its valuable
nutrients and minerals into streams
and lakes, where they can poison fish
or affect their ability to reproduce.
Region V is particularly concerned
about acid rain because its six states
contain some of the largest coal-fired
electricity generating plants in the
United States. These plants are major
sources of the sulfur dioxide that
helps form acid rain. But Region V
also contains lakes, streams and
forests that are particularly sensitive
to this type of pollution and that must
be protected.
Air specialists from Region V
have served on EPA's Acid Rain Task
Force and are reviewing possible
control strategies and their impact
on Midwestern towns and cities.
Special attention is being paid to
the potential economic impacts
which acid rain controls could
impose on the coal producing states
of Ohio, Ilinois and Indiana.
Region V officials believe that acid
rain control is not only desirable;
it is imperative. But they stress that
the tremendous costs of this control,
like its benefits, must be shared by
all—not just the citizens and
industries of the Midwest.
1980 EMISSIONS OF SO2 BY STATE
Illinois
J 1,366,400
T| 2,065,500
_K
1879,600
238,000
2,538,100
(J 651,500
TONS
TOTAL SUSPENDED PARTICULATES
(TSP)
A measurement of particles in the air
(such as soot, ash and smoke). Includes
nontoxic materials (dust and dirt) as well
as toxic substances, such as lead, asbestos
and sulfates. Natural and man-made
sources contribure to TSP, which can
adversely affect human respiratory
systems to various degrees, depending
on particle size and composition.
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
A colorless, odorless, tasteless, toxic gas
produced by incomplete combustion of
fossil fuels. The automobile engine is the
main source of this pollutant. CO is quickly
absorbed by the blood and reduces the
oxygen available to tissues, impairing visual
perception and alertness. Continued expo-
sure to elevated CO levels can threaten
life. Persons with cardiovascular diseases
are especially vulnerable to this type of
pollution.
OZONE (O3)
A colorless, pungent, toxic gas formed by a
series of chemical reactions when hydrocar-
bons and nitrogen oxides, from automobiles
and other sources, are exposed to sunlight.
Ozone is the principal constituent of smog
and is a severe irritant to mucous membra-
nes, impairing lung function and aggravating
existing respiratory disorders.
SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2)
A heavy, pungent, colorless gas formed
primarily by the combustion of sulfur-
bearing fuels, such as coal. SO2 reacts
readily with other atmospheric compounds
and pollutants to form sulfates, a group
of compounds that aggravate respiratory
ailments—such as bronchitis, emphysema,
asthma—and heart disease. Sulfates
combine with moisture in the atmosphere
to produce acid rain.
NITROGEN DIOXIDE (NO2)
A brown gas formed during high-tempera-
ture combustion which reacts with hydro-
carbons in the presence of sunlight to
produce photochemical oxidants, or smog.
It is also a pollutant in its own right and can
affect lung tissue, reduce resistance to
disease, contribute to bronchitis and pneu-
monia and aggravate chronic lung disorders.
It is also a contributor to acid rain.
-------
Radiation
EPA administers programs designed
to protect humans and the environ-
ment from exposure to harmful
levels of radiation.
EPA's Office of Radiation Programs
measures levels of radiation in the
environment, analyzes data on its
effects, issues standards to limit
human exposure, and responds to
emergencies involving radioactive
materials.
There are two types of radiation:
ionizing and nonionizing. Ionizing
radiation, which comes from X-rays,
nuclear power plants, uranium
wastes and other sources, is radia-
tion that can remove electrons from
atoms. Its primary health effect is an
increased risk of cancer.
Nonionizing radiation, from radio
and television transmitters and mi-
crowave ovens, does not change the
structure of atoms. However, it can
heat body tissue, possibly producing
biological effects.
EPA, concerned with both types
of radiation, develops standards
that limit human exposure to it.
The Agency also has developed
guidelines on the quantities and
concentrations of radioactive mate-
rials that may be released into
the environment.
As part of its environmental
studies and support activity, the
Office of Radiation Programs
maintains a nationwide system that
monitors background radiation as
well as the amount of fallout from
the atmospheric testing of nuclear
weapons.
EPA checks air, precipitation, sur-
face water, drinking water, and milk
for radiation in each of the 50 states.
Data from the system are used to
determine normal background levels
of radioactivity, to identify trends in
radiation levels and to help officials
protect public health in case of an
emergency.
In Region V, radiation experts
help other Federal agencies evaluate
and test state and county emergency
response plans. These plans are
designed to protect people and the
environment in case of a major
release of radioactivity from any of
the Region's 22 nuclear power
plants. Agency personnel are also
available to provide technical assis-
tance if such an emergency arises.
Region V experts also survey and
recommend cleanup options for sites
contaminated by radiation and are
investigating selected industries for
potential radiation problems.
In the City of West Chicago, Illinois,
EPA is working to determine the
extent of radioactive contamination
from a thorium extraction plant that
operated in the city between 1931
and 1973. Radioactivity has been
detected on the grounds of the
plant, as well as at the city's sewage
treatment plant, in residential areas,
in a creek and in a park. The Agency
is working with West Chicago offi-
cials to minimize human exposure to
radioactivity. The Agency expects
to recommend possible cleanup
options.
-------
« g t.
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
If Region V were to be personified, the Environmental
Services Division would be its hands, eyes and ears.
Working out of offices in Westlake, Ohio; Grosse lie,
Michigan; and Chicago, the professionals in this group do
much of the Region's field, laboratory and emergency
work.
-------
Engineers, scientists and tech-
nicians from this division serve the
Air, Water and Waste Management
programs to achieve EPA's
environmental goals.
The Environmental Services
Division has five branches: the
Central District Office in Chicago, the
Eastern District Office in Ohio, the
Environmental Monitoring Branch,
the Central Regional Laboratory and
the Quality Assurance Office, all in
Chicago.
The Field Investigations Section,
located in the district offices, takes
air and water samples, monitors
environmental control practices at
Federal installations and helps with
regional water supply and solid
waste management programs as
needed.
The Spills Response Section,
working out of the Central District
Office in Chicago, is capable of
quickly responding to oil and
hazardous materials emergencies
anywhere in the Region. Its profes-
sionals are trained to help state and
local authorities control such
incidents without harm to human
health or the environment. This
section also develops and oversees
cleanups of abandoned hazardous
waste dumps requiring immediate
action.
The Environmental Monitoring
Branch manages and analyzes air
and water quality data gathered in
the field. These data are stored in
special computer systems linked to
all Region V states, giving Agency
program managers quick access to
current information about environ-
mental conditions in any particular
location. This branch also oversees
EPA grants and contracts relating to
environmental monitoring.
The Central Regional Laboratory
in Chicago is the largest of EPA's
regional laboratories. It provides
analytical and technical support
services to the air, water and
waste divisions, the Central and
Eastern district offices, and the
states. When needed, the labo-
ratory will perform tests for other
EPA regions, analyzing air, soil,
water, fish, and plants for traces of
chemicals in amounts as small as
10~15 grams.
Laboratory and field personnel
are periodically audited by the
Quality Assurance Office to see
that they analyze and gather their
data properly. Because the
Agency's policy is to produce data
of known quality, data gathering
and laboratory procedures must be
uniform among EPA's laboratories
and anyone who does work for the
Agency. Scientists from the Quality
Assurance Office routinely check to
make sure that states, private
contractors and EPA's own labs
have the proper staff, equipment
and quality assurance programs to
conform to EPA's standards. This
section also certifies state and
municipal laboratories that test
drinking water under the Safe
Drinking Water Act.
*U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1984 — 755-403
-------
U.S.EPA Region V Organizational Chart
I OFFICE OF REGIONAL COUNSEL
— AIR BRANCH
_ SOLID WASTE &
EMERGENCY RESPONSE BRANCH
_ WATER,TOXICS &
GENERAL LAW BRANCH
REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
VALDAS V. ADAMKUS
DEPUTY REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
ALAN LEVIN
OFFICE OF
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
INTERGOVERNMENTAL
RELATIONS STAFF
I OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
NORTHERN DIVISION
OFFICE OF
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Jl
GREAT LAKES
NATIONAL PROGRAM OFFICE
AIR MANAGEMENT
DIVISION
AIR AND RADIATION BRANCH
AIR COMPLIANCE BRANCH
WATER
DIVISION
WATER QUALITY
3RANCH
_. WASTE MANAGEMENT BRANCH
MUNICIPAL FACILITIES BRANCH
DRINKING WATER/GROUND WATER
PROTECTION BRANCH
WASTE MANAGEMENT
DIVISION
REMEDIAL RESPONSE BRANCH
TOXIC MATERIALS BRANCH
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
QUALITY ASSURANCE OFFICE
CENTRAL DISTRICT OFFICE
EASTERN DISTRICT OFFICE
CENTRAL REGIONAL LABORATORY
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING
BRANCH
PLANNING & MANAGEMENT
PLANNING & ANALYSIS BRANCH
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW BRANCH
PERSONNEL BRANCH
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT BRANCH
MANAGEMENT SERVICES BRANCH
For Further Information
If you would like additonal information about
specific U.S. EPA programs, please visit the
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. EPA Region V
230 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois
60604, or call (312) 353-2072.
This office maintains a supply of EPA
publications, operates and informal speakers'
bureau and coordinates regional distribution
of environmental films. There is no charge to
the public for these services.
If you encounter an environmental problem,
report it first to your local, and then your
state, pollution control agency. Those
numbers are listed on the right. For specific
information about U.S. EPA programs call:
U.S.EPA Region V (312) 353-2000
Air Pollution (312) 353-2212
Automobile Problems
Catalytic Converters (202) 382-2640
Certifying a Car for Sale (313) 668-4277
Fuel Economy (313) 668-4329
Fuel Switching (312) 886-4577
Imports (312) 886-6082
Tampering with
Emission Controls (202) 382-2640
Warranty &
After-Market Parts (202) 382-2940
Great Lakes
National Program Office .... (312) 353-2117
Hazardous Waste, Superfund (312) 353-9733
Oil & Chemical Spills
National Emergency
Response Center (800) 424-8802
Region V Emergency
Response Center (312) 353-2318
Pesticides (312)353-2192
Radiation (312) 886-6175
Toxic Substances (312)886-6006
Water Quality
Wastewater Treatment (312)353-2121
Drinking Water (312) 353-2650
Wetlands (312) 886-6678
ILLINOIS
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
2200 Churchill Road
Springfield, IL 62706
(217)782-5562
24-hour number: (217) 782-3637
INDIANA
Indiana State Board of Health
1330 W. Michigan Street
Indianapolis, IN 46206
(317)633-0100
24-hour number: (317) 633-0144
MICHIGAN
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Stevens T. Mason Building
Lansing, Ml 48909
(517)373-1220
24-hour numbers: (517) 373-7660
(800) 292-4706
MINNESOTA
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
1935W. County Rd.B-2
Roseville, MN55113
(612)296-7373
24-hour number: (612) 296-7373
OHIO
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
361 E. Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43215
(615)466-8508
24-hour number (within Ohio only):
(800) 282-9378
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, Wl 53707
(608)266-2621
------- |