\ I 55 \ \ m $ Region V Public Report MAY 1972 ------- MAYO hv William Omohundro Region V was recently honored by the appointment of its Administrator, Francis T. Mayo, as co-chairman of the U.S.-Canadian International Joint Commission (IJC) Great Lakes hater Quality Board being established under the terms of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement which was signed on April 15 in Ottawa by President Nixon and Prime Minister Trudeau. Mayo will serve as co-chairman with [)r. Alan T. Prince, Director General of the Inland Waters Directorate of the Canadian Department of the Environment. The announcement was made earlier this month by the IJC which, at the same time, announced that the 18-man Board will be set up at an early date with an equal number of members from each country, including repre- sentation from each of the Great Lakes States and Pro- vinces. The Commission hopes to have its first meeting with the Board in mid-July. The IJC, established following a 1909 boundary waters treaty between the U.S. and Canada, has been given gen- eral and specific responsibilities under the terms of the new agreement to serve in a "watch dog" role to mon- itor progress in pollution control programs agreed to by both countries in the pact and to serve as a focal point in coordinating the efforts of the two countries to clean up and protect the water quality of the Great Lakes. The agreement requires establishment of the Great Lakes Water Quality Board to assist and advise the Commission "in the exercise of the powers and responsibilities assigned to it" under the agreement. Both Mayo and Dr. Prince have been serving as co-chair- men of four IJC Water Pollution Advisory Boards which will be discontinued with the establishment of the Great Lakes Water Quality Board. As Administrator of EPA's Region V Mayo directs the Federal program in air and water pollution control, noise abatement, solid waste disposal, pesticides and radiation regulation in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. A civil engineering graduate of the University of Utah, Mayo has worked in water resources and water pollution control since 1950. He served with the U.S. Geological Survey, the State of Utah water resource Division, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA). Before coming to Chicago, he served in Washington as Director of FWPCA's Division Planning and Interagency Program. Preceding that he was Director of the Region- al Enforcement Program of the FWPCA in San Francisco. THE PRESIDENT'S ENVIRONMENTAL MERIT AWARDS Eleven high school environmental projects in Region V recently received awards for environmental excellence as part of the President's Environmental Merit Award: Program. These projects were among the first fifty nationwide to receive such recognition. The President's Environmental Merit Awards Program was established to recognize the achievements of high school students who have made constructive environ- mental contributions during the school year. Accord- ing to EPA Administrator, William D. Ruckelshaus, "The President feels that young people make up the vanguard of the population most concerned with environmental renewal. He feels that young people can be an extraor- dinarily capable force for improving the quality of lite in America, and that such service must not go unre-cognised or be dismissed with a men.' 'thank you'." Because the program is designed to provide national recognition to community related projects, the eval- uation of the projects and programs took place at the local level. Projects were judged on the basis of service in the fields of educational achievement, environmental awareness, community service and public affairs. However, the major premise used in judging the merits of all of the projects was the constructive contribution they made to improve the local quality of life. One of the winners in Region V, Oak Park and River Forest High School, was selected to represent the Midwest at the Presidential Merit Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 12. During the program they received recognition for their project entitled, "Pollution Control Center", please turn to page 14 Far left: Richard Winkle- hoffer of the Ohio District Office presents the Presi- dential Merit Award to stu- dents from Cleveland. Left: The Award. ------- Left: Marsan Corp. demonstrates straw spreading technique for oil cleanup. Center: Participants in course water demonstrations. Right: Raking oil-saturated straw off water. Upper left corner of photo hubbies from air barrier, as well as the floating barrier are visible. Oil Spills In The Midwest: A Serious Problem • Over 25,815 barrels of oil from 528 accidental oil spills have polluted the waters of the six midwestern states (111, Ind, Wis, Mich, Minn, Ohio) since July, 1971. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released these figures in connection with an oil pollution control course designed to encourage prevention of spills as well as development of effective countermeasures in the event that spills occur. The course was held in Chicago during the first week of May. Francis T. Mayo, EPA's Midwest Regional Administrator, reported that 250 of the 528 oil spills occurred since January 1, 1972. About 145 of the spills have taken place in the Chicago-Northern Indiana industrial complex. "This number of spills presents a very serious problem," said Mayo. "And the actual number is much higher than indicated by these figures. Oil spills can be included in our records only when they are reported to EPA or the Coast Guard. Some remain unnoticed or unreported and are never cleaned up. Some reported spills involve unknown quantities and therefore cannot be included in the totals." The greatest number of oil spills in the Midwest have occurred in the Chicago-Northern Indiana metropolitan area, the area covered by the Illinois District Office of EPA, explained Chester Marcyn of the Office of Oil and Hazardous Materials during the first day of the course. The 145 spills have resulted in at least 5510 barrels of oil entering the waterways, primarily from oil tanks. The smallest number of spills reported were from the Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin area where 3100 barrels were reported spilled in 60 incidents. The greatest volume of spillage occurred in southern Illinois and Indiana, the area serviced by EPA's Indiana District Office in Evansville. At least 7591 barrels of oil have been spilled in 97 incidents. Throughout the Midwest region the greatest number of spills occurred in pipeline transport of oil. The Oil Pollution Control Course was designed not only to encourage prevention of spills but to provide tech- nical and legal information on how to comply with the relatively new oil pollution control requirements of the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970. Federal law requires that all spills be reported immediately by the responsible party upon discovery. Under the 1970 Act, a fine of up to $10,000 for each incident can be imposed on anyone responsible for a spill or discharge of oil on navigable waters, who knowingly fails to notify the appropriate Federal Agency as soon as the spill is discovered. EPA received the mandate to share with other government agencies the imnlementation of oil pollution control requirements of Section II of the h'ater Quality Im- provement Act under Executive Order 11548. EPA is responsible for cleanup and enforcement for inland waters; and the Coast Guard, for Great Lakes waters, coastal waters, and high seas. According to Bob Bowden, Chief of the Regional Office of Oil and Hazardous Materials, each EPA District Office has an Oil Spill Coordinator who responds to as many oil spills as possible. In the case of large spills, Regional and National Response Teams are available to assist in and direct containment and cleanup activities. At the present time several types of cleanup methods are in use. The Chicago Metropolitan Sanitary District in connec- tion with Shell Oil demonstrated several available countermeasures on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship canal on the final day of the three-day course. Shell Oil employs an air barrier (nicknamed a "bubbler") in the event of a spill at its transfer terminal. The air barrier relics on the formation of bubbles on the water surface as air is forced upward from the bottom of the channel through holes in a pipeline. The pipeline is permanently fixed at a 45° angle across the channel. The spilled oil is directed to the apex of the angle formed by the barrier from which it can then be cleaned off the water. Following demonstration of the air barrier the Metropolitan Sanitary District Oil pollution pick up barge moved into position to cleanup the imaginary oil that had been forced into the restricted area. To further restrict the movement and spreading of the oil, MDS experts were released with a small boat onto the canal where they affixed a plastic floating barrier between the shore and the air barrier bubbles to form a complete enclosure for the "oil." The Marsa Corporation then demonstrated use of a straw spreader which "spits" straw into the air and onto the oil in the water. The oil is adsorbed and then raked to the shore with large metal rakes. Following cleanup of an actual spill, enforcement action may be taken. Since December, 1970 the EPA Regional office has recommended prosecution of 19 oil spill cases under the River and Harbors Act of 1899. Such a prosecution could result in fines of up to $2500 on each count. Other recommendations for court or administrative action, including those under the 1970 Act, are originated by the Coast Guard. please turn to page 14 ------- The Incomparable Lee Botts "Having lived in the Oklahoma dustbow], I just haven't gotten over the Lake," reflected Lee Botts, in her bright blue office at the Lake Michigan Federation Headquarters in Chicago. As Executive Secretary of the Federation, Mrs. Botts has been able to put her enthusi- asm for the Lake to work. The seeds of this love of the Lake were planted in the panhandle of Oklahoma where two of her grandfathers had homesteaded. She spent her summers with one grand- father in particular. "He wasn't really a conservationist....but his farm was different from all the others." He had planted trees and made a tree belt to protect the soil from strong winds. "I've always appreciated those efforts to conserve" she says with admiration. Lee Botts complemented her early interest in conserva- tion with the ability to speak articulately and force- fully about it by participating in debate and journal- ism activities during her years at Oklahoma State University. After completing her degree there. Lee Botts and her husband came to Chicago where they planned to spend a year while he worked towards a graduate degree at the University of Chicago. They have stayed now for 25 years. Always living near the lakefront in Chicago's Hyde Park, Ms. Botts has worked for 25 years to conserve and beautify Lake Michigan and its shoreline. In 1958 she participated in establishing the Annual Garden Fair in Hyde Park to bring as much of nature into the city and into urban dwellers' homes as possi- ble ••• It was an expression of a particular need of city people." Also in the 1950's she worked on an annual sale of crabapple trees that today blossom throughout Hyde Park. As a member of the executive council of the Save the Dunes Council she worked on public relations. Then in the 60s she gained a stump for expression of her views when she joined the staff of the Hyde Park Herald writing a weekly garden and conservation column. This led to her selection as a member of the Chicago Beautiful Committee. In 1966 she accepted the position of editor of the issue-oriented Hyde Park Herald where she served until 1969 when she was offered a position with Open Lands. "I was paid a salary to do full time the things I'd want to do anyway." With Open Lands she developed an environmental education program striving to imbue young students with the importance of ecological awareness. Meanwhile it had become increasingly obvious to Open Lands staff as well as many other citizens that the Lake was in need of a permanent citizen's advocate to stress to industry and government the problems facing the Lake. Senator Vance Hartke of Indiana in fact suggested that there ought to be something like a "Save Lake Michigan Council" patterned after the "Save the Dunes Council" which had been successful in estab- lishing a national park at the Indiana Dunes on the southern end of the Lake. As a result, in the spring of 1969 Open Lands invited conservation organizations from the four states around the Lake (Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois) to send representatives to a conference in Chicago to review the problems facing Lake Michigan. While a permanent organization embracing the whole area was not started at that time, Open Lands kept the participants informed for the next year about issues pertaining to the lake and when citizens could take part in decisions on them. At the Second Lake Michigan Conference on "Power Pro- duction and Protection of the Lake" held in April 1970 at Zion, Illinois, Lee Botts asked, on behalf of Open Lands, for expressions of opinion about whether action could proceed in setting up a four-state organization aimed at protection of Lake Michigan. When numerous statements expressing support for such an organization were received. Open Lands requested and received finan- cial backing from two Chicago foundations for establish- ment of the Lake Michigan Federation. Initially operating out of the offices of Open Lands, but becoming independent in the fall of 1971, the Lake Michigan Federation acts primarily as a communication link and an information and education center. Botts explains, "It is called a Federation because it is not designed to act on behalf of its members, but to provide information needed by its members to decide when and where to take action of their own So the basic structure of the Federation provides for membership to organizations and individuals who can look to the Federation as their clearinghouse for information about Lake Michigan." The constitution states that the Federation will encour- age its members to set their own positions on individual issues and take action without any questions as to agree- ------- ment with other members of the Federation separately or collectively. The Federation will inform as many people as possible about local problems so that they can make their own decisions; but, as Botts says, "we remain convinced that we will achieve more for the lake in the long run by dealing with broad policy issues which these local situations reflect." One reason for this policy is that unless decision-makers hear from many different organizations rather than a single spokesman, they might be able to persuade them- selves there is really only a single voice. Says Botts, "It's far easier to stop listening to a single source of clamor than many." She continues, "We do not want to be the single spokesman on Lake Michigan. We are trying to get more citizens and more organizations to take part in protection of the Lake." The Federation has affiliation with over 300 individual citizen organizations, including the League of Women Voters Four State Inter league Group with 76 separate chapters and the Indiana Izaak Walton League with 26 chapters. In addition, membership has expanded beyond conservation groups to include other citizens groups as diverse as Region 3 of the United Auto Workers and the Evanston Junior League. In the Federation's daily work, Botts says, "we try to complement and supplement, but not duplicate the work of others." The Federation investigates the causes and solutions of pollution; interprets public opinion to government agencies, industry and other interested parties; tells its members where, when and how decisions will be made that affect the lake; and advises what citizens can do to help save the lake. It appears to Botts that the existence of the Federation has facilitated communication from government at many levels to the public. "We are being asked for inform- ation by regulatory, legislative and administrative agencies. We are being depended on by them to inform the public of their activities." Botts claims too that the Federation has facilitated press dealings with Lake Michigan issues. "Almost daily we refer a TV or news- paper reporter to a source of information." While it is difficult to point to specific accomplish- ments with the idea of claiming credit, Botts feels some specific developments are related to activities of the Federation. Increased public participation in the later meetings of the Lake Michigan Enforcement Conference can be called a result of the Federations' information activities. The agreement on strong ther- mal standards has been maintained by continued public pressure encouraged by the Federation. Legal and technical assistance to citizens who intervened in the Palisades nuclear plant development contributed to an unprecedented agreement by the power company to install cooling towers and a more sophisticated radia- tion treatment system, she notes. The Federation, she- added, has done extensive work in attempting to pressure government officials to ask for a stronger effluent standard in the Refuse Act Permit Program. In more general terms, Botts and the Federation can claim some credit for the increasing citizen effort to go beyond rallies and bumper stickers to partici- pate in changing the laws and working through the political system. Botts has been concerned with the question of how citizen participation can be made part of the political decision-making process. Her activities with the Lake Michigan Federation have led Ms. Botts into other activities. In 1969 she and 5 other citizens from across the country were invited by the Office of Science and Technology to consult with top government officials who deal with power, in reference to the Power Siting Bill. She was recently asked by the Ford Foundation to partici- pate on a two year study on National Energy Needs and Resources Advisory Committee. She is currently assisting the Corps of Engineers in a Chicago-South End of Lake Michigan Study which will identify areas on the Lake which must be maintained for recreational purposes. While she is assisting the Corps, she emphasizes she is not compromising her poals--"I've been very critical of what they have been doing --and I'll continue to be critical." "I attempt to play a constructive as well as critical role, but reserve the right to be critical," she says with a firmness in her voice and a twinkle in her eye. Throughout all these hours of work and involvement. Lee Botts has managed to maintain an active family life and raise four children. It hasn't 'icen difficult because, as she says, "my family shares my interest." The Botts have owned a sailboat for many of their years in Chicago. They spend a lot of time at the Indiana Dunes and in Michigan. And last summer, in an attempt to get their mother away from her constant involvement with the lake, the Botts' took a trip--they drove around the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and then spent two peaceful weeks at--Lake Superior. For more information, write: Lake Michigan Federation 53 West Jackson Boulevard Chicago, Illinois 60604 Cover photo credit: Karl Botts ------- Mrs. Muebner (left) of St. Peter Canasius School in Chicago and student Pat Noonan stop by the new Midwest Environmental Information Center to pick up some films from Ann Hooe, a staff member. The Chicago regional EPA office receives hundreds of inquiries each week from citizens from throughout the midwest requesting publications, asking questions, complaining about specific pollution problems, re- questing speakers or asking for advise. The office serves the 40 million residents of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota. It serves as the LPA's focal point for dealing with cit- izen groups, news media, students and the public in general. Television and radio public service announcements and programs arc coordinated here, in addition to publi- cation of a monthly Regional newsletter to thousands of midwest residents. Information Center Director Frank Corrado emphasized that EPA's public information effort in the Midwest "will concentrate on putting citizens in touch with groups working on pollution control projects and also on providing timely news to citizens and businessmen throughout the Midwest on how EPA can help communities work solve pollution problems at the local level.11 Mayo said: "We will measure our successes not in a grandiose cleanup campaign, but in hundreds of small victories in hundreds of communities throughout the region." Francis T. Mayo, Region V Administrator dedicated a new "Midwest Environmental Information Center" at EPA regional headquarters as part of Earth Week. Mayo said the center, located on the 8th floor, "is designed to improve communication between the Federal government's environmental programs and the public in the Midwest." "The new center," said Mayo, concern of the Environmental Federal government for giving men, students, newsmen, other and the general public direct environmental information and officials working on problems waste, noise, pesticides and "reflects the increasing Protection Agency and the citizen groups, business- governmental officials access to the latest to the governmental of air, water, solid radiation." The environmental information center, which includes a press office, a publication distribution point, and a speakers bureau and inquiry response section, will provide citizens who phone or appear in person with an immediate access to information or people working on a particular problem, according to the EPA Regional Administrator. Or. 0. Garth Fitzhugh, retiring Chief Toxicology Ad- visor to the Pesticides Office of EPA, has received the Agency's first Distinguished Career Award for "his outstanding contribution to a healthier society for all people." The award was presented by EPA Administrator William D. Ruckelshaus in a recent ceremony held in Washington, U.C. EPA has cancelled the registrations of some 23 pesti- cides based on the failure of the companies to furnish data required for setting a tolerance. A tolerance fixes the amount of residue of the chemical that may be left on a raw agricultural project sprayed or treated with the pesticide. ------- LOCAL AND NATIONAL A preliminary summary of plans submitted by states to implement the national ambient air quality stand- ards has been released by EPA. Twenty of the states have asked for time extensions to achieve the stand- ards. A total of 54 out of 55 states or jurisdictions have now submitted plans, the only exception being Alaska. The plans were required by the Clean Air Act of 1970. An extensive review of three additional persistent pesticides—benzene hexachloride (BHC), lindane, and endrin--has been begun by EPA to determine if any uses of these chemicals are endangering the environ- ment and desirable life forms within it. Two Green Bay Wisconsin pulp and paper mills, Charmin Paper Products Co. and American Can Co., as well as the Wisconsin communities of Green Bay and Sheboygan, were served with 180-day notices by EPA March 10 for the alleged violation of Federal-State Water Quality Standards. The announcement was made by EPA Region V Administrator Francis T. Mayo who said this is the first time EPA has issued 180-day notices to any of the large pulp and paper mills located in Northeastern Wisconsin. Under the 180-day notice the industries and municipalities have six months to take corrective measures to abate pollution or face court action. A substantial number of proposals have been received from firms and institutes in response to the invitation issued by EPA for the performance of a study and de- velopment of recommendations for the State of Indiana. The study will examine the State's present environ- mental statutes and standards, organization, strategies and assess the resources needed for the State to ac- complish its environmental goals. A technical eval- uation of each proposal was made by several EPA members and three Indiana officials designated by Governor Whitcomb. All of the proposals were eval- uated on the basis of established criteria cited in the "Request for Proposal". Jim Marth, the EPA Project Officer for the Study, stated that technical briefings will be held with the technically acceptable offerers in mid-May at Indianapolis. Shortly there- after, the Contracts Administration Division in Washington will negotiate for a contract with the technically qualified firms. The study is due to be completed in late Fall, of this year. EPA has begun an in-depth review of state plans which have been submitted for implementing the national ambient air quality standards required under the Clean Air Act. The reviews are to be completed by a statutory deadline of May 30, 1972. No announce- ment of State plan approvals will be made until the State involved is notified. EPA Administrator William D. Ruckelshaus acted March 24 to stop the interstate shipment of nearly all remain- ing pesticide products containing mercury in an effort to avoid further hazard to human health and contamina- tion of the environment from this source. The U.S. Water Resources Council has forwarded its proposed report on a comprehensive water and related land resources study of the Big Muddy River in South- western Illinois and its tributaries to the Governor of Illinois for review and comment. The Big Muddy River Basin study was accomplished by a Coordinating Committee comprised of representatives of: the State of Illinois; the Federal Departments of Agriculture, Army, Commerce, Interior, and Health Education and Welfare; the Federal Power Commission; and EPA. Aircraft specially equipped and operated by EPA's Western Environmental Research Laboratory (WERL) in Las Vegas, Nev., are being used in a project begun in May to study eutrophication in lakes and impoundments. The Agency will employ two UH-lh "Huey" helicopters and two Otter fixed-wing aircraft obtained from the U.S. Army in a nationwide aerial survey of approximate- ly 1,200 lakes in order to identify bodies of water in the United States with potential or actual eutrophi- cation (accelerated aging) problems brought on by the discharge of excessive amounts of phosphates into them from various sources. ------- The Envi.ronz.ent; iiittee of the Chicago Federal Executive Board held an Enviro-inental Impact Statement Seminar ir. Chicago last ror.th. (The agenda for that seninar was carried in last month's issue of this public report). he will attenpt here t= suamarize soae of the major state- ments Bade at that seainar. thoughts on WILLIAM J. DIRC1S (staff member, President's Council on Environmental Quality): Mien Congress was consid- ering passage of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969 there »as great concern that the new law contain so»e Beans of assuring that Federal agencies would give real heed to the new policy of Fede- ral environmental concern. The Congress responded with what is called the "Section 102" provision of KEPA. It directs all Federal agencies to interpret and adainister their au- thorities in accordance with the new environaental policy, and to give "appropriate consideration" to envi- ronmental values in all decisions. And Section 102(:)(C) required all agencies to prepare, for any "major Federal actions significantly af- fecting the quality of the human environaent," a detailed statement of what the environmental effects .culd be. In preparing the statement, agencies were directed to consider alternative actions and consult with other agencies having environmental expertise. The Council on Environ- mental Quality publishes a monthly list (The 102 Monitor) of environ- mental impact statements received and now has in draft and final fora some 2400 statements. About half of the EIS come from the Departaent of Transportation (principally airports and highways). The next largest groups are those on water resource projects (1/4 of the total) and power (about 100 actions). The Council's objectives in the review of the 102 statenents are three: (1) to check agency compliance with NEPA arri the Council's Guidelines, (2) to identify environmental problem areas where soae general reform via executive order or legislation would be desir- able, and (3) to monitor important and highly controversial actions via the 102 process and to keep the White House ar.- OMB advised. The CEQ wants the KEPA process to be self- enforcing at the agency level. The thinking is that if an assessment of environaental impacts is available to the decisionmakers in a timely and intelligible fora, if there is ample public notice and opportunity and I for comoent, if the expert Federal, State and local commenting agencies co their job, there should be little need for CEQ intervention in most cases. CHARLES E. NELSON (Office of Manage- ment and Budget): While no explicit assignment of responsibilities to OMB is made by the KEPA and the follow-up Executive Order, there are implicit responsibilities which grow out of OMB's role as a central staff agency supporting the President: (1) OMB has certain basic responsi- bilities with respect to the manage- ment of the executive branch, and clearly there are nanageaent impli- cations in the implementation of the SEPA. (2) OMB has specific respon- sibility for certain matters with which the XEPA is directly involved— proposed legislation and budget items. Guidelines issued by the CEQ, pursuant to Executive Order 11514, list certain specific responsibilities for OMB. The Guidelines indicate that OMB shall consult with agencies on procedures, if the agencies desire and OMB shall issue instructions on the use of existing mechanisms for handling legislation, budgetary materials and water resource projects. Among the actions taken or being taken by OMB are: (1) preparation with CEQ of the draft Executive Order which was noted above (2) revised OMB circular A-95 to incorporate instructions which provide for the use of proced- ures for the project notification and review systea and the clearing- house mechanism to obtain evaluation, by appropriate State and local agen- cies, of potential environaental in- pact of proposed projects (2) Estab- lishment of procedures through an OMB directive (10/5/71) establishing a procedure for improving interagency coordination of proposed agency re- gulations, standards, guidelines, and similar materials pertaining to envi- ronaental quality (5) Imputs provided to revise CEQ guidelines, with parti- cular emphasis on matters involving OMB directly, on State and local government participation, on matters affecting appropriate balance in achieving program and environaental objectives (4) Discussions with Federal agencies on procedures for review and with State local and public interest group personnel. OMB is very much concerned about the potential unnecessary red tape asso- ciated with environmental impact statements. OMB now has underway an examination into the effect environ- mental impact statements have had on grant processing times, toward de- termining the need for action to eliainate any unnecessary delays. Finally, OMB has issued Bulletin No. 72-6 which prescribes procedures to be followed by the Federal agen- cies in providing OMB with environ- mental impact statement information related to proposed legislation and comments on bills and to the budget estimates which the agencies submit to OMB. SHELDON MEYERS (Director, Office of Federal Activities, U.S. EPA) Under Section 102 of the National Environ- mental Policy Act, all agencies of the Federal government shall "include in every recommendation or report on proposals for legislation and other major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, a detailed statement by the responsible offi- cials on: (1) The environmental impact of the proposed action (2) any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should the ------- proposal be implemented (5) alter- natives to the proposed action (-1) the relationship between the short- term uses of aan's environment and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity, and (S) any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources which would be involved in the proposed action should it be implemented. Section 102(2)(C) also requires the respon- sible Federal official, prior to making a detailed statement, to consult with and obtain the consents of any Federal agency which has jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any envi- ronmental impact involved. This section, which states that copies of the comments should be made available to the public, was published in the Federal register on April 25, 1971 and Executive Order 11514 describe the content and mechanics of what we now call Environmental Impact State- ments. The effectiveness of EIS's has been variable. In many instances, preparation of the EIS for a particular project has had absolutely no effect on the project; in soae cases pro- jects have been delayed, in others alterations were made which were environmentally beneficial and there are examples of projects which have been cancelled. Noteworthy amongest the last category is the cross- Florida barge canal which was cancelled by Order of the President. There is a problem with projects that are in various stages of completion. But solutions can be developed which will accommodate the near-tern problems. It is the longer-term use of EIS's that will ultimately determine the kind of environment in which we all live. Once the intitial crunch is overcome, the EIS can be used in a project's formulative stages in much the same manner as is technical and economic information. Thus, it is in the planning stages of a project that the EIS will prove its ultimate usefulness as a mechanism for pro- tecting the environment. G. ROBERT ADAMS (Michigan Department of Highways) The Environmental lapact Statement should be one of the tools that will lead to the evolution of mechanisms desparately needed to insure the quality of life. The very concept of the purpose of an environmental impact statement is being warped to the point where the statement is being forced to serve many masters, and thus, is losing its effectiveness as a discussion of the impacts upon the environment of any oajor course of action. The EIS is not the means to environmental protection; is merely a report on the means. Environmental Assessment of actions that have an impact on the natural and human environment is the means whereby, we can ascertain the trade offs between activities and their effect on the environment. The impact statement should be merely a reporting of the findings of environmental assessment; therefore, the stress should be on the system and not on the document. This particularly refers to the state and local involvement. The EIS should and cannot be a justifi- cation of a project. It should be a clear setting down of the environ- mental impacts, both positive and negative, anticipated from the pro- ject and alternatives to avoid or mitigate the impacts. SEPA did not anticipate that one Federal agency could be making decisions concerning project actions of another Federal agency. It did anticipate that if the environmental costs of a pro- ject are so great that its imple- mentation is questionable, this issue should be brought forth so that the agency proposing the project would necessarily take a serious second look. The production and circulation of environmental impact statements, as presently constituted is not accept- able in terms of making the statements available for public scrutiny. The Michigan Department of State High- ways has taken the responsibility of providing our environmental assess- ments free of charge to interested citizens on all our projects. The department also makes them available at public hearings. It is our view that this is the only way that an assessment or an impact statement can be an effective tool for environ- mental protection. Distribution of environmental assessments and impact statements through the national Technical Information Service is not an effective method. It is essential that environmental assessment be built into the development of the project from the beginning. The Impact Statement is then the re- porting of the determined impacts. Since environmental assessment should be a long-term ongoing program, and since the impact statement should be directed primarily at the assess- ment of impacts, I believe the inclination of some Federal agencies to take exception to the alternatives selected on the basis of a review of the impact statement alone, or on the basis of the review of the impact statement and one field investigation is not consistent with the orderly discharge of Governmental activities. The reviewing agency must accept some responsibility for recognising the state of the art on assessing environmental impacts. If anything sheds a lack of credibility on the operation of government, it is for a list of seemingly reasonable re- quests for information that in fact are beyond the state of the art. It is not appropriate for individuals to pursue their interests in changing the political direction of this country in the administration of existing programs. The review of environmental impact statements -ust be on the basis of avoiding environ- mental degradation rather than attempting to stop programs author- ized by congress. EDWIN PILHOLOHAN [Federal Highway Administration, Chicago) FHKA does not have the staff to perform environmental studies nor to pre- pare and process environmental statements. And even if we did, it would be a break in the successful tradition of the Federal-State partnership in the highway program were we to do so. So even though the language of .SEPA is phrased in terms of Federal requirements, pre- paration and circulation of environ- mental statements for Federal-aid projects are a fuction performed by the State Highway Department. The development of a highway project can be identified by several stages— the most common being: network selection or planning, corridor selecting or location, and design. The development may take as long as 1- years for major projects in urban areas. FHKA guidelines specified the point in the highway planning and design process the requirements for processing an environmental impact statement are applicable. This point was desig- nated as the corridor approval stage the point (following a public hear- ing) at which one highway corridor from among several alternatives, is selected for further development. The guidelines required for all pro- jects, the preparation of an environ- mental statement or an "negative declaration" the latter being defi- nite determination that a statement is unnecessary. Final statements must have approvals concurred in by Office of the Secy, of Transporation. FHMA division engineer have the authority to approve negative declarations and to approve draft environmental statements for circulations. ------- A Tale of Two Lakes (Editor's Note: In an attempt to avoid confusion the Public Report uses Delaven Lake and Geneva Lake in referring to the bodies of water and Lake Geneva and Delavan in referring to the municipalities.) Midwesterners have been rushing in ever-increasing numbers to stake out claims around the areas inland lakes . They've done so for a number of reasons. Lakes have been great places for outdoor recreation such as fishing, boating, swimming, and water skiing. Also, lake homes have been attractive to retirees and have been touted as real estate investments. Whatever the attraction, the inland lakes are becoming densely populated and as a result are in danger of becoming stagnant cesspools of algae and sewage as our citizens buy and build on their subdivided shores. What can be done to save the vital natural and recre- ational water resources of our inland lakes? A look at what communities located on two Wisconsin lakes are doing might give us some answers. Geneva Lake and Delavan Lake are located just a few miles apart in Southeastern Wisconsin. Experts agree that Geneva Lake is cleaner and shows fewer signs of premature aging (eutrophication) than Delavan Lake. What are the reasons? Some Facts About the Two Lakes Here are some salient facts taken from a prelininary report for the Delavan Lake Sanitary District by a firm of civil and sanitary engineers, Jensen 6 John- son, Inc., of Elkhom, Wis., a 1969 Wisconsin Depart- ment of Natural Resources study of Geneva Lake, as well as from interviews with local authorities. Geneva Lake is almost three times as large as Delavan Lake and deeper. The average depth of Geneva Lake is 50 to 70 feet with the maximum depth around 135 feet. Delavan Lake, on the other hand, has a maximum depth of around 40 to 50 feet. Geneva Lake is fed by hundreds and maybe thousands of springs and has a constant flow to its outlet, the White River, a tributary of the Fox River. Delavan Lake has very little circulation. About the only portion which is ever stirred to any extent is the area near the mouth of Jackson Creek which flows into the lake carrying effluent (now receiving secondary treatment) from the sewage treatment plant operated by the City of Elkhorn and the Malworth County Hospital and Some. Geneva Lake with its large estates has had less pop- ulation pressure whereas the Delavan Lake shore is crowded in many places with subdivisions. Moreover, Geneva Lake communities have secondary sewage treatment facilities preventing most of the sewage effluent created on the lake from entering the lake while the houses around Delavan Lake have disposed of their sewage with septic tanks. The soil around Delavan Lake is generally of a silt loam type which allows the effluent from the septic tanks to seep into a high groundwater table and not only pollute the groundwater but the lake as well. The Delavan Lake drainage basin is made up of 24,000 acres compared to a Delavan Lake surface area of 1,841 acres, or a watershed to lake area ratio of 13:1. Geneva Lake's watershed is about 18,500 acres and its surface area is 5,262 acres, or a watershed to lake ration of 3.5:1. A/ •r 5 wj 10 ------- . .. These facts should give us a clearer picture of why Geneva Lake is in better condition than Delavan Lake. So, far, at least three important steps have been taken to protect the two lakes. They are: (1) Formation of a Delavan Lake Sanitary Sewer District and the funding of a Sanitary Sewer System for the lake. Work on the system is expected to begin next fall and is expected to take several years to complete; (2) The passing and enforcement of strong sanitary and zoning ordi- nances for Walworth County; and (3) The formation of a Geneva Lake Environmental Protection Agency by the communities on Geneva Lake. The Walworth County Planning and Zoning Office The Walworth County Planning and Zoning Office has a staff of five full-time men and two full-time secre- taries. The office is headed by James Johnson. His assistant is Ron Neumeistcr. Both men are former De- partment of Agriculture conservation specialists. The jurisdiction of the office is limited to the unin- corporated areas of the county so it has no jurisdic- tion within cities and villages. The county presently has a zoning ordinance, a shoreland zoning ordinance, a sub-zoning ordinance and a sanitary code. Neumeister said the county is now in the process of developing a revised zoning ordinance for the county. Walworth County has 37 natural lakes. In the winter the population of the county is 63,000 and in the summer the population soars to 350,000, according to Johnson. lie said half of the county's assessed valuation comes from property around its lakes, and he recommends care- ful use of soil and water to keep the natural beauty which attracted people to the county in the first place. Johnson and Neumeister believe that there is an in- creasing acceptance by the citizens of the county of the stronger land use regulations. They say builders are looking closer at their land and the regulations before they turn the bulldozers loose. Johnson believes strongly in getting the word to the public about the ordinances. His office uses slide talks to make presentations to civic groups, church groups, business groups, schools, etc. in regard to new restrictions on the use of septic tanks in the county on soils that can't "take it," Johnson said, "If anybody—attorney, homeowner, contractor—comes in and says he didn't know about this building re- striction we feel he's not being very honest." The Delavan Lake Problem A.C. Peterman, editor of the Delavan Enterprise, said, "Geneva Lake is the second largest lake in the State of Wisconsin, next to Lake Winnebago. It could sus- tain a greater amount of pollution than Delavan Lake simply because of its size." Peterman said almost all of the homes on Delavan Lake have septic tanks and that for years they have been seeping. "There has always been a fear that some sewage was going into the lake." He said the sewage plants at the Walworth County seat of Elkhorn and the Walworth County Institutions there have for years discharged into Jackson Creek which flows into Delavan Lake. 11 Tom Gunderson, head of the Delavan Lake Sanitary Sewer District Commission, emerges from Delavan Lake covered with algae. Photo credit: Delavan Enterprise "Two years ago," Peterman said, "The Delavan Lake Improvement Association and six citizen residents brought an action against Elkhorn before the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)." Elkhorn was ordered by the DNR to install pollution control facilities and clean up their discharges as a result of the action. "There's been a long battle to install a sewage system on Delavan Lake," Peterman pointed out, "and The Enterprise has supported the effort strongly." He said the stand has gained both friends and enemies for his paper, but the efforts have succeeded. "The success was confirmed last September when three candidates strongly in favor of the sewer system were elected Sanitary District Commissioners," he added. Peterman believes the pro-sewer system candidates were probably aided by the fact that the DNR directed that a sanitary sewer be installed around the lake. He said the Sanitary Sewer District was formed as a result of signatures on petitions in 1969. "Opposition to the sewer system project didn't begin to crystallize until it became evident that those in favor of the project were serious and intended to proceed," he said. please turn to page 12 ------- continued from page 11 Peterman said most of the opposition came from older people who had retired to homes on the shores of Dela- van Lake. "The older retired people felt they couldn't afford the improvements," he said. The people who have investments and want to use the lake, he said, could see their investments deterior- ating. The real estate men, for instance, were solidly behind the sewer district. "Just before the election they took a one-page ad in The Enterprise," he added. Since their election in 1971, the commissioners have proceeded with floating a $1 million general obliga- tion bond. A $600 special assessment was made on every inhabited lakeshore property, and, in addition, a $200 special assessment was made for every buildable lot on the lake. "This caused quite an expense for Lake Lawn Lodge which merged over a year ago with the Ramada Inn Corp.," said Peterman. He said their total assess- ment was about $175,000. "They already had a sewer system with a disposal plant, but it was an old one." The special assessment for all the lake property totals $1.8 million. State and Federal aid could total over $4.7 million with EPA's share going as high as $2.25 million. "This has been a really tremendous example of citizens efforts to lift themselves by their bootstraps and improve their situation," Peterman said. Peterman feels that the important story is not so much the pollution but the citizens' efforts to do something about the pollution. He is optimistic that the citi- zens there will succeed in their efforts. "We have the solid support of the State DNR," he said, "and the job is being done in a very intelligent and sophisticated manner." The Delavan area has a lot of sophisticated people, he pointed out. "We have presidents of firms as well as a lot of solid working people who understand the prob- lem and are willing to spend money to correct the problem." "We took a strong editorial stance in favor of the sewer system because I believe the economy of the area is tied to the Lake," Peterman said. Once, he said, the economy was almost totally depend- ent on the lake, but the City of Delavan has become more industrialized in recent years. "But none of us would want to see the lake go down the drain. It's a major asset aesthetically as well as economically." Agriculture is strong around Delavan with dairying, beef cattle raising and crop farming. With the new sewage system and other efforts, Peterman feels, the situation should improve. "But," he added, "we're still going to have runoff and a lack of circu- lation due to the nature of the lake." "The deeper I get into the pollution question," ob- served Pererman, "the more I realize you're going to find pollution everywhere there is population pressure." In the summer, he said, the population is 10,000 and growing and a new freeway is coming in from Milwaukee. Algae growth has been a problem at Delavan Lake as in all lakes suffering from eutrophication. In the past the Delavan Lake Improvement Association (DLIA) has sponsored an algae spraying program which they used to finance totally by themselves. In 1970, due to financial pressure caused by the increased cost of spray, etc., the DLIA went to Dela- van township for assistance. The township contributed $2,000 in 1970 and renewed their contribution in 1971. This year, however, when the DLIA asked for $3,000 for the spraying (with the cost totaling $7,000) the town- ship turned them down. "Now," Peterman said, "the burning question is whether or not the lake will be sprayed at all." Either the DLIA will have to get more money from wealthier members, he said, or let people see what the lake looks like without spraying. The spraying, which was done at various times during the summer season, had its opponents. "The fisherman feel the copper sulfate chemical used to control the algae also hurts the fish," Peterman pointed out. Geneva Lake Despite the fact that Geneva Lake is still in better condition than Delavan Lake, it has shown enough symp- toms of euttophication to alarm residents of the com- munities around the lake. They recently formed a Geneva Lake Environmental Pro- tection Agency, and appointed Phillip Fogle director. A long-time area resident who says he knows the lake well, Fogle is still working out of an office in his home. "Algae has been increasing in Geneva Lake every year," said Fogle. He attributes the increase to the runoff of excess nitrates and phosphates from lawns around the lake as well as from agricultural runoff and the few septic tanks still used on the lake. Sodium arsenite and copper sulphate have been used to control the algae every year for some time. "However," he said, "Geneva Lake is in much, much bet- ter shape than Delavan because of its greater size and depth and because its a kind of self-flushing lake fed by hundreds and maybe thousands of springs." The Geneva Lake EPA is trying to get a complete profes- sional survey of the lake in order to determine just what the problems are so they can be attacked in an effective manner. He said his organization is getting help from the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater department of biology, and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (five counties). A limnologist, William Burkhard, who lives in Lake Geneva is also giving professional assistance. The Geneva Lake EPA is made up of five units, according to Fogle. These include: Lake Geneva, Williams Bay, Fontana, the Linn Township Sanitary Commission, and Walworth Township. please turn to pageM ------- Contract: Compliance Region V employees Garrett Fitzpatrick and Charles Lewis do not have time to become familiar faces in the EPA Regional Office in Chicago. Most of the time these two Compliance Officers are out in the field assuring that recipients of EPA grants are in compli- ance with Federal non-discrimination standards. While many citizens are aware that EPA makes grants to municipalities for construction or improvement of sew- age treatment facilities, it is probably less well known that such construction must proceed on a non- discriminatory basis under Title Six of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This Act charges EPA with the responsibility to assure that no person because of race or sex is excluded from participating or is subject to discrimination in any program receiving such financial assistance. EPA's two regional compliance officers, who function as part of the Equal Employment Opportunity Office, assure that the requirements of this law are met. Fitzpatrick and Lewis are in the field as often as three days a week, investigating worker's complaints received during the course of construction and com- plaints of community organizations regarding EEO practices of a grant applicant. They must assure that fair labor practices are maintained as outlined in the Davis-Bacon Act. According to Fitzpatrick, "A Compliance Officer stud- ies industry and trade practices, policies, and pro- cedures, and consults with other Federal agencies, government officers and other interested parties." Contract compliance procedure incorporates a number of requirements. According to Lewis, all Federal grant recipients are advised that in order to comply with Federal grant assurances of nondiscrimination they are responsible for the following: (1) To include in the advertisement for bids a statement that bidders are required to comply with the President's Executive Order 11246, Non-Discrimination in Employment. (2] To include in all contracts and subcontracts provisions to the Executive Order 11246, Grant Provisions of the Labor Standards, (3) To collect and maintain all compliance forms, information required, and to insure that contractor and subcontractors notices to labor unions or other organization of workers are properly posted. (4) To hold a Pre-Award Contract Compliance Con- ference on all contracts of a million dollars or more to determine the EEO compliance pos- ture of the prime contractor and any subcon- tractors of $100,000 or more. The Contract Compliance Officer participates in the Pre-Award Conference with representatives of the appli- cant, the prime contractor and major subcontractors, and the consulting engineers. "Our discussions at the meeting include a review of the hiring practices of the contractor; the upgrading and training of minority workers who are on his per- manent staff; and his involvement with the apprentice- ship and the pre-apprenticeship programs." Fitzpatrick continues, "We also contact local community organi- zations to get a feeling of local opinion regarding the contractor's EEO posture. We discuss with the contrac- tors and EEO officer the extent to which the company has gone to assure equal employment opportunity for all of its personnel." Contractors are requested to submit the following information at the meeting: (1) The Affirmative Action Plan of the company. (2) The Company Report, which spells out the composition of the contractors present total work force by trade and the minority breakout (Negro, Spanish surnamed American, Oriental and American Indian). (3) The Projected Estimated Work Force for the project, which also includes each trade that will be involved on the project with a minority breakout. (4) The name and address of each union that will provide work for the project together with an estimate of the unions total membership, including the number of its minority member- ship. (5) Copies of letters written by the prime con- tractor and major subcontractors to unions regarding non-discrimination in employment and willingness of the contractors to hire regardless of race. "Following the meeting, we evaluate the information submitted by the contractor to determine if he has a satisfactory compliance posture," says Lewis. "Award of the contract is subject to approval of the prospec- tive contractor's EEO posture." During the lj.fe of the contractor's project, On-Site Reviews are conducted to monitor the contractor's compliance posture. Says Fitzpatrick, "If during the course of an On-6ite Review, we determine that a con- tractor or any of his major subcontractors are not adhering to the pre-award commitments, a letter out- lining the deficiencies is forwarded to the applicant with a request that the contractor comply within 30 days. In the event he does not comply, we have the option to request that no further grant money be forwarded to the applicant until deficiencies are corrected." According to EEO Director, Roland Cornelius, approxi- mately half a dozen of these letters have been written in the last four years. "In each case the contractor got the message and was saved." Noting that within the last four years EPA has done business with dozens of contractors both prime and major, he concludes, "It can be said, without reser- vation, that we have seen a breakthrough in the employment of minorities in the construction field." 13 ------- continued from page 12 members are: Prof. James Kerrigan, assistant director of the Water Resources Center of the University of Wis- consin at Madison; James Johnson, Walworth County Plan- ning and Zoning Administrator; Herbert Johnson, member of the civil and sanitary engineering firm of Jensen and Johnson, Inc., of Elkhorn; Dr. Thomas Wehman, an analytical chemists with the Morton Salt Co.; and Larry Whiting, Walworth County deputy, pilot and aerial photographer. The chairman of the Geneva Lake EPA is Bruce Armstrong, of the Armstrong Tool Co. who lives at Williams Bay, and the vice-chairman is Robert Meyerhofer, member of the Lake Geneva City Council. Fogle said all three communities on the lake have sec- ondary sewage treatment facilities. The effluent from Fontana and Williams Bay facilities goes into lagoons, and the treated sewage from Lake Geneva goes into the A committee has been set up to advise the agency. White River, a tributary of the Fox River. The The Agency director had high praise for the Walworth County Planning and Zoning Office, "Walworth County has one of the finest planning and zoning offices in the nation. It's held up as a model statewide and nationwide." He is also happy about the response of the citizens living around the lake. "Response around the lake has been 95 percent positive," he said. "It's very grati- fying ." He works through schools and local libraries, as well as community groups. He said Badger High School in Lake Geneva has a very active environmental club. "The young people have shown great interest in the pollution problem and are working to do something about it." continued from page 2 Woodward, Ohio; Watkins-Memorial Jr.-Sr. High School's "Governmental Protection of Ecology; A Problem in Survival", Pataskala, Ohio. Also receiving awards in Region V were: Fields High School for "Ecology Behind Prison Walls," in Mansfield, Ohio; Ashley High School for "Pollution in the Maple River", Ashley, Michigan; Lawton Community High School, Lawton, Michigan for its "Glass Recycling Center"; Gaylord Community High School for its projects enti- tled "Petroleum in Otsego County" and "Study of Gaylord Sewer System", Gaylord, Michigan; Royal Oak Dondero High School for "SCUM: Students Cleaning Up Messes", Royal Oak, Michigan; and Cumberland High School for their projects entitled "Are Cumberland Lakes Dying?" and "Is Beaver Dam Lake Dying?" Cumberland, Wisconsin. Regional EPA personnel participated in two of the award ceremonies. Mr. Richard Winklhoffer, Chief of the Surveillance and Analysis Division of the Ohio District Office presented the Presidential Awards foi Environmental Excellence to students who participated in the Cleveland Institute for Environmental Education's project, on April 24. Mary Canavan, Office of Public Affairs, presented awards to those involved in the Lawton Community High School glass recycling project, which had been spon- sored by a school club, LIFE: Lawton's Involvement for Future Environment. These presentations took place at an awards banquet in Lawton, Michigan on April 27. The President's Environmental Merit Awards Program has been expanded to include projects done by students at the elementary school and junior high school levels, as well as projects done by young people while attend- ing accredited summer camps across the country. Schools or camps interested in receiving more informa- tion on the President's Environmental Merit Awards Program should contact Art Peters, Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 4th and M Streets, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. The other schools in this area that received awards for their projects were: The Institute for Environ- mental Education for its work with 80 high schools in establishing teacher-student environmental train- ing programs, Cleveland, Ohio; Swanton High School, Swanton, Ohio, for their project "Glass Collecting for Recycling"; Woodward High School for their student and community programs, "School Clean-Up", "Ottawa River Clean-Up" and "Plastic Recycling", continued from page 3 Mayo said : "Any spill left unattended, regardless of size, can cause damage to the environment." .Bowden explains: "The large number of small spills is a special problem in that small spills are rarely cleaned up and the water is kept in a constant state of degradation. And large spills can be catastrophic. A small spill can destroy an animal's habitat for a whole season, while a large spill can foul beaches and kill fish and birds." NEXT ISSUE: ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDELINES FOR SUMMER HOME OWNERS. ------- g Grand Rapids area environmentalists were greeted by welcome news at the Earth Week 111 meeting of the Michigan Air Pollution Control Commission on April 19 in Lansing. It was revealed that Betz Foundry, Inc., long a target of action by area environmental groups, had begun to construct its air pollution abatement control system. In November of 1970, Betz Foundry management agreed to install controls by March, 1972. The company or- dered its equipment in May, 1971, only to encounter labor troubles the following month. This problem and some on-site vandalism forced a delay. It was dis- closed, however, that as of April 12 the project was again underway. Betz Foundry estimates that the total system will be operational in about four months. The APCC reacted to this news by deciding that six months should be adequate for both completing the in- stallation and conducting the testing and adjustments so often necessary to achieve the design efficiency of the equipment. Oscar Mayer and Co. has begun work on the final stage of a four-part program to reduce smoke emissions from its power plant in Madison, Wis., according to the Madison Capital Times. The company is completely replacing an existing multiple cyclone, centrifugal dust collector on one of its two remaining coal-fired boilers. The new dust collector, which should be in operation soon, will be more effective in removing paniculate matter from power plant emissions, the company said. The total program for reducing emis- sions have cost about $1.5 million. In a related pollution control effort, the firm said that pilings have been driven for a new $440,000 waste water filtering system announced in January. When completed the system will eliminate sludge la- goons at the fltearby Burke waste water treatment plant and thereby eliminate 50 percent of the odor at Burke. Rolling Meadows, 111., police cars have switched from gasoline to propane, thereby reducing pollution and lowering maintenance costs along with giving better performance, according to a Chicago Tribune story. The switch cost about $100 to replace carburetors on each of the five cars in the experiment, plus a month- ly equipment rental charge of $10 each. The advantage of propane is that it burns cleaner which results in less engine fouling. Oil stays cleaner longer and engines misfire less, according to Rolling Meadows Police Chief Lewis R. Case. "The payoff comes when my men are called into a chase," he said. "The en- gines are so clean that they get up to 85 (miles per hour) without even a slight hesitation." He said the cars deliver 20 percent more horsepower, require fewer tune-ups, and there is less valve trouble. The Pielet Brothers plant in Summit, 111., where the state's largest car shredding machine is located, will dispose of an estimated 50,000 abandoned Chicago auto- mobiles yearly under a five-year contract with the city according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The junked cars are being recycled and will eventually be return- ed to the economy as refrigerators, desks, beverage cans and automobiles. The Pielet brothers say they have more than $180,000 invested in air pollution abatement equipment. In eight hours their shredder can process 750 vehicles. Current estimates are that as many as 20 million abandoned cars are rusting throughout America, and another eight million cars will go out of service this year. Union Carbide Corp. of Marietta, Ohio, has announced the completion of a 362 foot high stack at its power plant according to the Columbus Citizen Journal. The stack was built as a result of recommendations issued by an air pollution abatement conference held two years ago in the area. A spokesman for the company said the $2.5 million stack will eliminate the so- called "downwash" of combustible, effluents from the steam plant. Sun Oil Co. recently revealed a technological advance in air pollution control at its Toledo, Ohio, refin- ery, according to the Toledo Blade. The Blade said the process was developed in England for the removal of sulfur from fuel and has been adapted to refinery operations by Sun Oil engineers. The process will enable Sun Oil to extract up to 15 tons of sulfur a day that otherwise would be emitted into the atmos- phere as sulfur dioxide. The by-product in turn will be made available to Allied Chemical Corp. for use in other operations at its own Toledo plant. The $2 million dollar sulfur removal plant inevitably should contribute to cleaner air in the area, the Blade said. The Dayton, Ohio, Daily News said a Do-I.t-Yourself Environmental Handbook published last July by the Dayton Museum of Natural History has been published by Little, Brown and Co. The handbook, which hit the booksellers on Earth Day, was written by two staff members at the museum, E. J. Koestner and Joseph H. McHugh, and Museum board member, Ralf Kircher. Koestner said the original Dayton version had to be revised and expanded for nation- al publication. The message, according to the Blade, is that everyone is a polluter, and that the virtue is in polluting as little as possible. 15 ------- |