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Clean Water Advocates Object to New Lenox Sewage Treatment PlanPermit allows 63% increase in wastewater discharge to Hickory Creek without limits on nutrient pollutionNew Lenox, December 4: A coalition of clean water advocates concerned with the health of Hickory Creek have filed a legal appeal objecting to a permit issued to the Village of New Lenox to increase its discharge of wastewater into Hickory Creek by 63% without installing controls on nutrient pollution. The coalition ÷ which includes the Des Plaines River Watershed Alliance, the Livable Communities Alliance, Prairie Rivers Network, and the Sierra Club ÷ is appealing the permit, which was issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) in October, seeking better treatment options that wonât jeopardize the health of Hickory Creek.The appeal of the permit was filed Tuesday before the Illinois Pollution Control Board (PCB). The PCB has the authority to review decisions by the IEPA, and reverse or modify them as they deem appropriate. According to Jim Bland of the Des Plaines River Watershed Alliance, "Despite pollution impacts in recent decades, Hickory Creek remains a significant ecological resource with a unique history and promising prospects for recovery. This discharge permit ÷ which allows New Lenox to increase its discharge of wastewater by almost one million gallons per day ÷ threatens the Creek and the possibility for restoration." Under the Clean Water Act, IEPA must ensure that certain standards are met before discharge permits can be issued. In the case of the New Lenox permit for Hickory Creek, however, several of those standards have not been met in the issued permit. For instance, the permit does not ensure that the existing uses of the stream will be protected. These include the educational uses of the stream as well as the habitat use by a broad array of fish and other species that currently call the waterway home. In addition, there is concern that the sewage treatment plant which received the permit may already be contributing to water quality violations in Hickory Creek. "Hickory Creek is an asset that holds economic and recreational possibilities. What we are asking is that New Lenox and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency raise the bar, so that we can preserve the creek and insure the future livability of New Lenox as it continues to grow," explained Kimberly Kowalski, president of of the Livable Communities Alliance. "There are alternatives, more stringent controls available. As a growing community, this is a real opportunity for New Lenox to exemplify a positive, effective solution that eliminates the degradation of our streams." Unfortunately, under the permit that was issued last month, New Lenox is not required to remove nutrient pollution, such as phosphorus, before dumping the wastewater into Hickory Creek. Excessive levels of phosphorus are known to cause pollution problems that threaten fish and aquatic life, and clean water advocates are calling for consideration of alternatives that would reduce or eliminate the level of phosphorus pollution entering Hickory Creek. "We would like to see Hickory Creek be clean and healthy as New Lenox grows, but this increase in nutrient pollution could overwhelm the Creek," says Cindy Skrukrud, Clean Water Advocate for the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. "We hope New Lenox will look at available alternatives that avoid dumping all this nutrient pollution into Hickory Creek." Area residents have noticed excessive algal blooms in areas of the creek where current discharges from the New Lenox plant are occurring. These types of blooms are usually associated with excessive levels of phosphorus and other nutrients, which are common in sewage treatment plant discharges. When nutrient levels reach unhealthy levels, unnatural, explosive algae growth can turn water pea-green in the summer, cause unpleasant odors, and rob a stream of the oxygen needed for healthy aquatic life. The coalition is concerned that the New Lenox permit allows increases in discharges without the restrictions needed to prevent excessive nutrient pollution which will reduce oxygen levels and cause fish kills and devastate aquatic life in the Creek. "Under state regulations, IEPA must demonstrate that the discharge allowed under the new permit will not cause or contribute to water quality standard violations in the future," said Beth Wentzel of Prairie Rivers Network. "Clearly, this permit does not comply with the law and we look forward to working closely with concerned area citizens, the Illinois EPA, and the Village of New Lenox to take the actions needed to save Hickory Creek." # # # | |