United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region V
230 South Dearborn
Chicago. IL 60604
ILLINOIS
INDIANA
MICHIGAN
MINNESOTA
OHIO
WISCONSIN
TOG€TH€R
OCTOBER 1,1977 to DECEMBER 31,1978
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New Clean Air Act Amendments were passed by Congress
in the late summer of 1977 The Amendments called for
States to improve their plans for cleaning up air pollution,
set up methods for keeping the air clean while allowing
future growth, and addressed long-term problems of
carbon monoxide and other auto-related pollutants
In December 1978. all States in Region V were working
hard to meet the January 1 . 1 979 deadline for submitting
State Implementation Plans (SIPs) EPA will have untilJuly
1 , 1 979 to evaluate them A SIP is required for each of the
five harmful pollutants we are trying to reduce or remove
from the air entirely Photochemical oxidants (smog), parti-
culates (smoke, dust, fly ash), carbon monoxide, sulfur
droxide. and nitrogen dioxide Since all States have major
urban areas where autos are the mam source of air
pollution, vehicle inspection and maintenance programs
will also be required
By the end of 1 978, ninety-one percent of the 4,81 2 major
air pollution sources in EPA's Region V were incompliance
with Federally enforceable State clean air standards, or
were on an approved compliance schedule There were
294 major sources (industrial and municipal) in violation of
State clean air regulations, and 117 sources for which no
applicable regulations existed Regulations to cover those
gaps were being developed under the State Implementa-
tion Plan updates
Percentages of air source compliance, State by State,
were Illinois 97 percent, Indiana 85 percent. Michigan 98
percent. Minnesota 89 percent. Ohio 83 percent, and Wis-
consin 97 percent During 1 978, EPA issued 89 Notices of
Violation and 27 Compliance Orders to industrial and
municipal sources of air pollution
During Fiscal Year 1978, almost $12 million in continuing
program awards was granted to various local and county
air pollution control agencies within the six EPA Region V
States Illinois received $3 2 million, Indiana $1 6 million,
Michigan $2 2 million, Minnesota $0 9 million, Ohio $2 9
million, and Wisconsin $1 million For Fiscal Year 1979,
under Section 105 of the 1977 Clean Air Act, $15 7million
has been appropriated to Region V States in support of air
pollution control agencies
Sulfur dioxide pollution in Ohio, caused by burning of local
high-sulfur coal, remained a problem To comply with
Federal and State clean air standards, some Ohio utilities
chose to import low-sulfur coal from the Western States
rather than install the effective but expensive sulfur dioxide
control equipment, known as scrubbers About 2,000
miners, fearing the loss of jobs, came to EPA hearings in
St Clairsville. Ohio, in August 1978 to express their
concern
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Under Section 125 of the 1977 Clean Air Act. utilities
may be required to use locally available high-sulfur coal
(together with appropriate pollution controls) to reduce
economic disruption that would result from the burning
of out-of-State coal In December 1978 EPA publicly an-
nounced that severe economic losses would result if Ohio
utilities were to switch to out-of-State coal A series of
public hearings was scheduled in 1979 to determine if
Section 1 25 should be invoked in Ohio
The Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPALCO) pre-
sented EPA with a plan to build a 1.950- megawatt coal-
fired power plant near Patriot, Indiana But tn August 1978,
EPA rejected the proposal It said that IPALCO's new plant,
to be located in the heavily polluted Ohio River Valley,
would not be able to meet the Federal clean air standards
Specifically, EPA said the proposed pollution control
equipment was inadequate to remove sulfur dioxide
emissions
This was the first time a power plant was banned in the
Midwest because of air pollution problems IPALCO filed
for a temporary injunction against EPA. but the court de-
nied it in October The court further ordered an expedited
briefing schedule, with oral arguments ro be held in 1 979,
to review EPA's initial refusal of a construction permit
Two major steel companies were sued by EPA for failure to
clean up long-standing air pollution problems In December
1978, the U S Attorney for Northern Indiana, at EPA's re-
quest, filed a suit against Bethlehem Steel Company's
Burns Harbor, Indiana, mill and against U S Steel Corpo-
ration's Gary, Indiana, mill Both companies were cited for
excessive participate emissions m violation of the Clean Air
Act In both cases, the suit asked for a court-imposed clean-
up schedule and fines of $25,000 per day for each day of
noncompliance, retroactive to the August 7, 1 977 passage
of the Clean Air Act Amendments
The American Brick Company, whose Dolton, Illinois,
and Munster, Indiana, plants had been in violation of clean
air standards for participates since mid-1975, was also
taken to court Besides a court-imposed cleanup schedule,
the suit asked for civil penalties of $25,000 per day per
plant, also retroactive to August 7, 1977
New Clean Water Act Amendments, signed into law in the
fall of 1977, put emphasis on wastewater treatment, coor-
dination of water programs, water plant operator training,
public information and education on recycling of wastewa-
ter and sludge, and water reclamation projects for small
rural communities that could benefit from cost-saving
techniques. The Amendments also authorized, for the first
time, grants for privately owned water treatment plants
To better deal with these new priorities, EPA's Region
V Water Division was reorganized in mid-1978 Environ-
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mental Engineering and Water Quality Management
branches were added to the existing three And all con-
struction grants programs were consolidated under a new
post of Assistant Director for Construction Grants
sspjz
At the end of October 1978. of a total of 1,079 municipal
and industrial dischargers 677, or 63 percent, were in
compliance with National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System permits or Extended Compliance Schedule Letter
requirements In the six-State EPA Region V, Minnesota
had the highest percentage (91 5) of combined municipal
and industrial dischargers in compliance, Illinois had the
lowest (41 percent) Combined compliance in the other four
States stood as follows Indiana, 90 percent, Wisconsin, 70
percent, Ohio and Michigan, 57 5 percent each. In 1978,
Region V enforcement personnel issued 77 Notices of
Violation and 40 Administrative Orders to industrial and
municipal water polluters
EPA awarded $1 billion in 1978 to help cities build or im-
prove 1,411 sewage treatment plants Illinois received
$270 3 million for 241 projects, Indiana received $99 7
million for 151 projects, Michigan received $446 million
for 41 5 projects, Minnesota received $34 3 million for 1 54
projects, Ohio received $71 8 million for 225 projects, and
Wisconsin received $79 6 million for 225 projects
Under the Water Quality Management (208) Program,
$10.6 million was allocated to EPA's Region V for Fiscal
Year 1978 They are long-term grants, made to State and
Regional agencies, for wastewater treatment and water
quality studies These grants are updated annually, and
funds not awarded (as was the case with part of the $106
million for 1978) are carried over into the next year
Nineteen-seventy-eight was the due date for 32 local
planning agencies in Region V to submit their plans for
dealing with future water quality management in their
areas Emphasis of the program was on putting together
locally enforceable management programs that deal with
nonspecific source problems like farm runoff, city street
runoff, construction and forest water wastes and the like
Involvement of local officials, citizens, and other affected
parties was needed in putting together the program
One special success story comes from Michigan.
where the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
(SEMCOG), a local 208 agency, was able to enlist wide
community support SEMCOG drew up a plan involving
1 28 communities and agencies, working together and
using local money to improve water quality For areas not
covered by local planning agencies, State pollution
agencies are assuming responsibility
When the City of Detroit failed to clean up water pollution
according to a compliance schedule it previously agreed to,
EPA and the Department of Justice, together with the State
of Michigan, filed a Show-Cause Order in October 1978
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The Request for Relief accompanying the order asked for
immediate compliance, plus a schedule of fines, and the
appointment of a monitor by the Federal Court After thor-
ough review of Detroit's long-standing pollution record.
the monitor submitted evidence to the judge in December
1978 Hearings in open court were held in February 1979
Detroit, the largest municipal discharger of sewage
and phosphorus in the Great Lakes Basin, had originally
been sued by EPA in May 1 977 for violations of the Clean
Water Act A series of intense negotiationsand compliance
schedules failed to get Detroit to clean up its wastewater
As a result, a court-ordered Consent Judgment was signed
by all parties in September 1 977 It established schedules
by which Detroit was to achieve compliance
In January 1 978. EPA filed a civil suit against the City of
Gary. Indiana, and the Gary Sanitary District for numerous
violations of the 1977 Clean Water Act Violations includ-
ed the discharge of five pollutants, inadequate operation
and maintenance, and failure to file industrial user infor-
mation The suit, which could result in maximum penalties
of $ 1 0 000 for each day of violation, was still pending at
the end of 1978 A
The City of New Albany, Indiana, and a former superintend-
ent of the city's wastewater treatment plant were taken to
court by EPA in June 1 978 for filing false reports under the
1977 Clean Water Act The City pleaded no contest and
was ordered to pay court costs, the superintendent pleaded
guilty and was fined $1,500
After a series of chemical spills into the Ohio River and its
tributaries in 1977 and 1978, EPA launched a drinking
water organics management program Its aim is to identify
and reduce the amount of organic chemicals in our water
supply Some of the chemicals, such as carbon tetrachlo-
nde, are known to cause cancer, others are suspect Under
the supervision of the Ohio River Sanitation Commission
(ORSANCO), seven monitoring stations were set up These
experimental stations, partly funded by EPA. were to
measure chemicals in the river and give early warning to
communities whenever chemical spills occurred
EPA also granted the Cincinnati Waterworks $1 2 mil-
lion m June 1 978 for a two-year experimental project that
will utilize granular activated carbon for the treatment of
water This method will provide maximum protection to the
city's drinking water from organic chemical contamination
TOHicnnir
Under the Toxic Substances Control Act. EPA was required
to compile an inventory of chemical substances The mam
purpose was not merely to list all the chemicals (some
70.000 used nationwide) but—more important— to iden-
tify the potentially dangerous ones and devise means to
control them EPA's Region V advised some 2.500 mdus-
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trial callers about chemical inventory reporting require-
ments, held mventoryreportingseminarsmsixMidwestern
cities, and distributed about 2 2. 000 pamphlets to industry
representatives The inventory reporting period ended
May 1 . 1978 A complete list of inventoried chemicals is
to be published in 1979
A S3 million Central Regional Laboratory, one of the best
facilities of its type in thecountry was opened in Chicago in
February 1978 Well prepared to fight dangerous toxic
substances the laboratory has broad capabilities to make
physical chemical, and biological analyses — from simple
to complex Samples are taken from the air. water or solid
matter to evaluate the presence and the amount of pollut-
ants in our cities, industrial plants farms, lakes, streams.
and other sources
Sophisticated computerized equipment was installed
to lend EPA technicians a hand The new laboratory is an
important part in a joint toxics control effort undertaken by
the EPA. the Occupational Health and Safety Administra-
tion, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the
Food and Drug Administration
A national survey released by EPA in November 1978 re-
vealed that there may be as many as 1,800 hazardous
waste dump sites in the Midwest Of these, 22 considered
most serious were identified EPA's Region V formed a
special agency task force to work with State agencies m
investigating these sites Although EPA does not have the
authority or the resources to deal with hazardous waste
dumps, it can act in an emergency, whenever a grave
danger to public health is known to exist
Two toxic chemicals continued to present serious disposal
problems polychlormatedbiphenyls (PCBs) and polybromi-
nated biphenyls (PBBs) PCBs were the center of attention
in a civil suit EPA filed in March 1 978 against the Outboard
Marine Corporation Its Johnson Outboard Division, ac-
cording to the suit, dumped over the past 18 years about
two million pounds of PCBs into Lake Michigan and Wau-
kegan harbor, Illinois In some places sediments were
found to contain as much as 25 percent of PCBs
The suit asked Outboard Marine to remove sediments
from the harbor without any further damage tothe environ-
ment and pay penalties that may total $20 million At the
end of 1978, the case was still unresolved
PCBs from Missouri and industrial wastes from Michigan
were buried in Wilsonville, Illinois, to the consternation of
local residents EPA declared the site safe, but Wilsonville
citizens sued in protest The dump site has been closed by
court order since September 1978 The court also ruled
that wastes do not have to be removed
In May 1 978 two experts from EPA's Region V inspected a
site in Mio, Michigan, where more than 1 ,000 PBB-conta-
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mmated cows were to be destroyed and buried Afterevalu-
ating the design, construction, and mteded use of the site.
the EPA team concluded there would be no health hazard
to people It also testified to this effect in court Still, the
Michigan Supreme Court temporarily prohibited anycattle
from being buried at the site In July however, the court
ruled that the Mio burial site could be used after all
This was a second instance of continuing tragedy that
began in 1 973. when PBBs (used as a fire retardant) were
accidentally mixed with animal feed. At that time PBBs
killed millions of Michigan farm animals Between 1974
and 1976 another 35,000 PBB-contammated dairy cows
had to be destroyed **
The Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation waste dis-
posal site in Montague. Michigan, failed to meet standards
for hazardous waste disposal The Michigan Department of
Natural Resources (MDNR). backed by EPA, turned down
the company's plan to cover the wastes with soil and
synthetic liners Such wastes must be placed in vaults that
are insulated on all sides by ten feet of clay, MDNR and EPA
ruled in the fall of 1978
By the end of 1 978, pesticide applicator certification pro-
grams of all six Region V States had been approved by EPA
State plans had to meet the new requirements on restrict-
ed-use pesticdes, as outlined by the amended Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodentricide Act(FIFRA) Under
State plans, a total of 189,400 pesticide applicators were
certified Of these, 162,000 Were farmers and 27,400 were
commercial concerns To help the States' certification
programs. EPA granted about $54,000 to each of the
Region V States Regulations are being revised to make
annual grants possible A
The Inspection and Surveillance Section inspected 189
pesticide producers, made 20 import investigations, and
collected 408 samples for chemical analysis from 172
marketplace inspections The above field functions, how-
ever, were in the process of being transferred to the States
under the Cooperative Enforcement Agreements At the
end of 1978, three States (Michigan, Indiana, and Minne-
sota) had such agreements in force The other three States
(Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio) are expected to sign by 1980
For them, 1979 will be a phase-in year
The Pesticide Compliance Section made 186 pesctici-
de-use inspections, issued 112 warning letters, initiated
41 civil prosecutions, sent out 2O recall requests, and 39
stop-sale orders
AADIATIOn
The Radiation Program office maintains eight sampling
stations for monitoring airborne radioactive materials
throughout EPA's Region V Six of these stations are on
continuous standby and are activated when there is a
danger of radioactive fallout During 1978 they were acti-
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vated twice as a result of nuclear weapons testing in China
However, no dangerous fallout was detected
Studies of radiation emissions from non-nuclear facili-
ties are being made to determine the 50-year radiation
dose to the general public from naturally occurring radio-
active material The studies involve a coal-fired electrical
generating station and a limestone mine in Illinois Data
from these.and similar studies in other EPA Regions will be
used to establish radiation emission standards for non-
nuclear facilities, as required by the 1977 Clean Air Act
noi/e
At the request of the mayor of Galena. Illinois. Noise Pro-
gram specialists of EPA's Region V helped develop a com-
prehensive antmoiseordmanceforthat city Theordmance.
aimed at reducing auto horn blowing, engine revving,
heavy acceleration (racing), and tire squeal, was adopted by
Galena in October 1 977 The new ordinance also required
that all vehicles registered in Galena be tested for noise
emissions by June 1 , 1 978 Part of the program was a new
antmoise street sign developed by EPA's Region V staff
Galena's and EPA's efforts to control noise gained
nationwide attention during a CBS-TV network newscast
m July 1 978 Following Galena's example communities
across the nation began adopting the antmoise sign and
similar noise control programs A series of noise work-
shops was also conducted throughout EPA's Region V to
acquaint public officials with noise control and practical
antmoise enforcement methods
GftCAT UIK €/
In December 1977 EPAs Great Lakes National Program
Office (GLNPO) became operational, with headquarters in
Chicago GLNPO's mam function is to conduct surveillance
and coordinate research and special studies in the eight
Great Lakes States GLNPOalso provides technical support
and remedial programs for EPA's nonstop fight against all
forms of pollution m the Lakes, the largest freshwater
system m the world
GLNPO coordinates its efforts and cooperates with
other Federal agencies with State and local governments.
and with university research programs GLNPO also works
closely with these counterparts in Canada which shares
the boundaries of and concern for the Great Lakes
Preliminary results of a GLNPO study of Lake Michigan
were released m June 1978 The study showed that overall
pollution m Lake Michigan has decreased somewhat, but
most inshore areas (Green Bay, for example) are still con-
taminated with too many nutrients that can eventually
choke off the Lake One happy exception is the Indiana
shoreline, where phosphorus concentrations have de-
creased significantly, probably as a result of Indiana's 1 973
ban of high-phosphate household detergents
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The preliminary findings also showed that the levels of
chlorides (salt) is rising at twice the rate of previous years
The final report of GLNPO's Lake Michigan study is
expected to be published August 1. 1979
In July 1978. EPAheld a senesof shipboard open houses to
introduce the public and the press to its new research ves-
sel. the Crockett The ship, a converted 165-foot Navy
gunboat, is conducting an intensive two-year program to
sample deep and near-shore waters of Lake Erie, in order to
chart cleanupprogressandcontmumg pollution problems
From Lake Erie, the fully equipped floating laboratory
will move to the other Great Lakes to continue GLNPO's
ten-year monitoring program, which is part of an ongoing
international study The Crockett is often seen working
alongside the Roger R Simons, a Coast Guard buoy ten-
der also converted for scientific study of the Great Lakes
A
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The joint U S -Canadian Water Quality Agreement of 1978,
signed in November, called for continued efforts to restore
and maintain water quality of the Great Lakes GLNPO is
responsible for implementing this bmational treaty, which
has historic precedence dating from 1 909 The new Agree-
ment emphasizes the need to control pollution in tributary
waters and other nonpomt sources, including pollutants
reaching the Lakes with agricultural runoff or by air The
Agreement warned that an increasing amount of all pollu-
tion entering the Lakes has been found to come from
atmospheric sources
OTHCA ncTivmcs
In Federal Court. The Office of Regional Counsel (ORC)
defended 44 new cases seeking to overturn actions taken
by EPAs Region V This did not include 41 cases already
pending Some of the more important Federal Court Deci-
sions upheld EPA's right to obtain a search warrant to
investigate suspected violations of pesticide laws affirm-
ed EPA's right to disapprove State water quality standards
that do not meet requirements of the Clean Water Act and
approved EPA's order to a Michigan city (which received
EPA funds to construct a sewage treatment plant) to award
an equipment and construction contract m accordance
with provisions of Federal law
ORC also prepared 29 formal opinions— the most of
any EPA Region— resolving bid protest appeals, and
provided more than 400 formal and informal opinions
interpreting various laws and regulations
EPA's Region V Library held a week-long fair in April 1978,
during which hundreds of pounds of surplus publications
were given away to local. State, and out-of-State environ-
mental libraries, and the public at large Some people came
from as far away as Cleveland The publications consisted
of EPA reports, journals, U S Geological Survey Water
Resource Data, and other miscellaneous literature The
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Library Fair was so successful that two other EPA regions
held similar fairs later, with equally outstanding results
The Library hopes to make this fair an annual event
A conference on Lake Michigan pollution problems and a
fair were held in Chicago in June 1978 Officials from the
four Lake Michigan States attended sessions during which
pollution compliance, industry reports. Lake erosion and
diversion, beaches, fisheries, and jobs were discussed The
fair also included Chicago Fire Department and Coast
Guard demonstrations, fishing and canoeing clinics, a
sandcastle building contest for children, and numerous
exhibits emphasizing the Lake as a community resource
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EPA was recognized in 1978 as the top Federal agency in
Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB), an efficient way of managing
Federal tax dollars Region V was further recognized as the
best EPA region in managing its $21 million budget under
the new ZBB process
With ZBB, program budgets are re-evaluated every
year, rather than automatically renewed or increased
Savings often result For example, ZBB analysis showed
that Region V could effectively monitor pesticide use on
farms with only 60 percent of funds previously allocated
$322
To avoid environmental problems from the outset, environ-
mental agencies and the U S Steel Corporation began
looking at potential impacts from the planned construction
of a S3 5 billion fully integrated steel plant east of
Conneaut, Ohio The 4,000-acre site on the shores of Lake
Erie, straddling the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, is the
costliest construction project ever undertaken by a U S
corporation
EPA raised serious objections to an initial Environ-
mental Impact Statement prepared on the project by the
Corps of Engineers It was especially concerned about
prevention of air quality deterioration At the end of 1978.
The Corps and U S Steel were attempting to solve those
problems A
SSSZ
The Office of Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (OCRUA)
developed a Regional Equal Employment Opportunity Af-
firmative Action Plan, which was approved by the Regional
Administrator in November 1978 OCRUA also worked to
implement a policy of increased use of minority consultants
and construction contractors Invitations for bids, requests
for proposals issued by grantees, and procurement of
subagreements will fall under this policy
In November 1 977, EPA issued Orders of Compliance to
seven Federal facilities and Notices of Violation to 12
others The seven facilities, all major dischargers into
EPA's Region V waterways, were cited for violation of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act The other 1 2 were
cited for violation of the 1977 Clean Air Act Among the
violators were military installations. Department of
Defense supply centers, and other Federal facilities in
Illinois. Indiana. Michigan, and Ohio
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U.S. EPA REGION V ORGANIZATION CHART
REGIONAL COUNSEL
REGIONAL ADMIBSTRATOR
DEPUTY REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
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