The state of Illinois’ Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a complaint against Pekin Paperboard Co., a Pekin, Ill., that manufactures recycled boxboard products. The complaint states that the business alleging repeated permit violations, and its illegal wastewater practices allegedly have polluted portions of the Illinois River since at least 2001.
According to the complaint, wastewater from production operations is sent to a storm sewer which empties into an effluent ditch. The ditch flows into a canal connecting Crystal Lake to the Illinois River.
The company’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit also allows the ditch to accept other liquid wastes generated by plant operations and water storage tank overflows. The permit imposes limits on total suspended solids and five-day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand, each of which is a contaminant. Daily Monitoring Reports are submitted monthly to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
In a complaint filed March 11 before the Illinois Pollution Control Board, Madigan alleges that on several occasions, beginning in 2001 and lasting through 2003, Pekin Paperboard exceeded maximum daily and monthly concentrations for TSS. In addition, an August 2002 IEPA inspection revealed further contamination resulting from paper waste runoff and spills on the ground. Additionally, paper waste covered one of the storm drains and the water within the effluent ditch was brown and turbid. IEPA’s inspection turned up other alleged operational violations, including sludge that had not been removed from a lagoon since 1997, seriously reducing its capacity.
Madigan’s complaint also claims the company allegedly diverted untreated wastewater to another ditch leading to the Illinois River. IEPA issued Pekin Paperboard a violation notice in September 2002 and met with the company in late November of the same year.
In late 2002 and 2003, additional inspections and surveillance by the IEPA showed malfunctioning equipment and a pattern of allowing untreated wastewater to flow into the effluent ditch. When IEPA observed the dredging of the lagoon in the summer of 2003, it observed that the effluent was gray in color with a strong septic odor. A sample of the wastewater showed heightened levels of CBOD5.
Madigan’s complaint seeks a hearing before the IPCB to allow Pekin Paperboard to answer allegations contained in the complaint. In addition, the complaint seeks a civil penalty of $50,000 per violation and additional penalties of $10,000 for each day the violations continue. Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Bonkowski is handling the case for Madigan’s Environmental Bureau.