Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is proposing to permit One Earth Energy, a new ethanol plant, to discharge wastewater into Drummer Creek, a biologically significant stream in Ford County. A public hearing will be held on March 16th in Gibson City.

Attend the hearing. Protect clean water.

This permit does not ensure that the water quality of the receiving stream, Drummer Creek, will not degrade further as a result of One Earth Energy’s proposed discharges.

IEPA One Earth Engergy NPDES Public Hearing Notice (pdf)

PRN One Earth Energy Public Hearing Informational flyer (pdf)

Support IEPA’s Septic System Regulation Permit

Pumping a Septic System

Surface discharging systems are prevalent in some parts of Illinois, particularly rural areas with soils that are unsuitable for traditional subsurface septic systems. There are around 140,000 active systems in the state, with nearly 5,000 more installed annually. In June of 2007, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) issued a draft permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) that would regulate surface discharging septic systems throughout the state for the first time. Until now, these systems that discharge treated wastewater directly to the ground’s surface, a collection tile, or a body of water, have not been regulated by IEPA, contrary to requirements of the Clean Water Act. The draft permit sets effluent limits for some pollutants, and requires that effluent be tested twice per year to ensure that systems are functioning as they should. {Continue Reading »}

For Immediate Release
May 10 , 2006

Prairie Rivers Network and the Salt Fork River Partners are praising the Urbana Champaign Sanitary District for agreeing to disinfect the wastewater discharged from their Northeast Sewage Treatment Plant in Urbana.  The plant is currently exempt from federal disinfection requirements.

The plant, which treats domestic and industrial wastewater from the Cities of Champaign and Urbana, as well as tributary areas of Champaign County, discharges its treated wastewater to the Saline Branch of the Salt Fork River.   The federal permit required to discharge this wastewater—known as an NPDES permit—is currently undergoing a once every five year review and renewal.  The agreement regarding disinfection came during the public process associated with the renewal process. {Continue Reading »}

Champaign, December 18, 2003: Prairie Rivers Network, the statewide river conservation group in Illinois, has objected to a water pollution control permit the Illinois EPA is proposing to issue to the Tuscola sewage treatment facility. The group says that, as proposed, the permit will not ensure that state and federal water quality laws will be satisfied.

Three waterbodies downstream of the sewage treatment facility, Scattering Fork, Embarras River, and Charleston Side Channel Reservoir, are polluted with too much phosphorus. Excess phosphorus in rivers and streams can cause algae blooms and decrease oxygen and water clarity. These conditions are hazardous for fish and other stream organisms and can render the water aesthetically offensive. Because the sewage treatment plant is not removing phosphorus, it is contributing to phosphorus problems downstream. {Continue Reading »}

Permit allows 63% increase in wastewater discharge to Hickory Creek without limits on nutrient pollution

New 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. {Continue Reading »}

Permit is model for other communities who want to minimize environmental impacts of growth

Plano, December 2, 2003: Environmental groups that work to protect water quality and river health in Illinois, today praised an agreement that had been reached with the City of Plano to dramatically reduce the impacts the expansion of their sewage treatment plant will have on water quality and aquatic life. The permit formalizing that agreement was issued in November.

“All parties have much to be proud of,” said Jean Flemma, Executive Director of Prairie Rivers Network. “This agreement and the final permit show that a cooperative approach to planning for growth can result in a win for the environment and for communities.” {Continue Reading »}