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Illinois EPA and Boy Scouts of America team up for Annual 20-mile Lincoln Trail Hike
SPRINGFIELD — Over 1,000 area Boy Scouts are spending the day taking part in the annual Lincoln Trail Hike, so named because hikers retrace the steps of a young Abraham Lincoln as he journeyed from New Salem to Springfield to practice law. The Lincoln Trail Hike is part of the weekend activities of the 67th Annual Lincoln Pilgrimage, which is hosted by the Abraham Lincoln Council Boy Scouts of America.
Illinois EPA Responds to Chemical Spill into Prairie Creek Resulting in Fish Kill
SPRINGFIELD –Illinois EPA emergency responders and water quality specialists are in Tazewell County again today in response to yesterday’s release into Prairie Creek, on Allentown Road west of the Village of Allentown, of several hundred gallons of a mixture of 28 percent nitrogen and 13.3 percent of an herbicide containing Atrazine. The address is reported to be 24815 Allentown Road. In addition, approximately 60 gallons of diesel fuel were released in the vehicle accident that caused the release. The spill resulted in a large and “complete” fish kill downstream of the incident site.
Illinois EPA Awards Grants for Stormwater Management Programs
Springfield —Illinois EPA Interim Director John Kim today announced the award of nearly $5 million in Green Infrastructure Grants designed to reduce the amount of pollution running into Illinois waterways from stormwater sources. Applicants applied for grant awards in three categories: Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Rehabilitation; Stormwater Retention and Infiltration; and Green Infrastructure Small Projects.
Governor Quinn Announces Capital Funding to Disinfect the Chicago River – State Grant to Upgrade Chicago River Treatment Plants
CHICAGO – April 12, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today announced $10 million in state funding to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago to improve water quality in Chicago area waterways.
Illinois EPA Honors Young Environmentalists in 25th Annual Poster, Poetry and Prose Contest Ceremony
SPRINGFIELD — Today, Illinois EPA Interim Director John Kim honored a group of distinguished Illinois fifth and sixth grade students selected for their creative skills used to express environmental awareness, as part of the Agency’s 25th annual Poster, Poetry and Prose Contest. This year’s theme focused on storm water pollution and ways to prevent it with Going Green to Keep Your Storm Water Clean! The writers and artists selected from throughout Illinois were recognized at a reception in the Howlett Building in downtown Springfield.
Governor Pat Quinn Rolls Out Nation’s Largest Electric Vehicle Fast-Charging Network – 350Green and 7-Eleven help drivers re-charge vehicles in under 30 minutes at Illinois Tollway Oases
SCHILLER PARK – March 29, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn and representatives from the Illinois Tollway, 350Green LLC and 7-Eleven, Inc.
Illinois EPA grants Exelon Quad Cities Station Provisional Variance from Discharge Requirements
Springfield— The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has granted the Exelon Generation’s Quad Cities Station a provisional variance from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water discharge permitted temperature limits, due to recent unseasonably warm weather conditions . Quad Cities Station is a nuclear-fueled steam electric generating facility located on the Mississippi River near Cordova. Circulating water used to cool and condense steam from the generating process is ultimately discharged into the river. It does not come into contact with any radioactive components and does not have any impact on radiation risk. Exelon’s NPDES permit places limits the temperature of the effluent versus the temperature of the river water during a given season, and gives Quad Cities an allowance of excursion hours it can use if its discharge exceeds the temperature. Because of recent record breaking warm weather, Quad Cities exhausted the excursion hours in the early morning of March 21. Quad Cities has already shut down Unit 2 for a refueling outage. If Quad Cities has to shut down Unit 1, this will affect the margin of safety for both of these units. During the variance period, Quad Cities Station must continuously monitor both discharge and receiving water temperatures and must visually inspect all discharge areas at least three times each day to assess the impact on aquatic life. It must also notify the Illinois EPA and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources if aquatic life is shown to be affected.
Illinois EPA grants Exelon LaSalle Station Provisional Variance from Discharge Requirements
Springfield— The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has granted the Exelon Generation’s LaSalle County Power Station a provisional variance from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water discharge permitted temperature limits, due to recent unseasonably warm weather conditions . LaSalle Station is an electric generating facility located in southeastern LaSalle County, six miles southeast of Marseilles. Circulating water used to cool and condense steam from the generating process is discharged into the Illinois River. LaSalle Station’s NPDES permit places limits on the temperature of the effluent versus the temperature of the river water during a given season, and gives the facility an allowance of excursion hours it can use if its discharge exceeds the temperature. Because of recent record breaking warm weather, the river temperature at the intake has already exceeded the maximum temperature standard. Without this provisional variance, LaSalle Station will be forced to stop the blow down of water from its cooling pond which, in turn, may compromise the integrity of the pond’s exterior dikes.
Illinois EPA grants Ameren Edwards Power Station Provisional Variance from Discharge Requirements
Springfield— The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has granted the Ameren Edwards Power Station a provisional variance from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water discharge permitted temperature limits, due to recent unseasonably warm weather conditions . Edwards Station is a coal-fired electric generating facility located in Bartonville, Peoria County, on the west side of the Illinois River. Circulating water used to cool and condense steam from the generating process is discharged into the Illinois River. Ameren’s NPDES permit places limits onthe temperature of the effluent based on ambient river temperatures during a given season, and gives the Edwards Station an allowance of excursion hours it can use if its discharge exceeds the temperature. Because of recent record breaking warm weather, the river temperature at the intake has exceeded temperature standards; therefore the capacity of the river to dissipate heat has been reduced, causing the facility to exhaust the permitted excursion hours. In order to comply with the permit without a variance, Ameren Edwards would have to significantly cut back operation. Even if the Ameren Edwards plant would completely shut down, discharges at Outfall 002 would exceed the permitted values. During the variance period, Edwards Station must continuously monitor both discharge and receiving water temperatures and must visually inspect all discharge areas at least four times each day to assess the impact on aquatic life. It must also notify the Illinois EPA and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources if aquatic life is shown to be affected.
Illinois EPA grants Exelon Dresden Station Provisional Variance from Discharge Requirements
Springfield—The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has granted the Exelon Generation’s Dresden Station a provisional variance from certain temperature limits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued to the facility, due to recent unseasonably warm weather conditions. Dresden Station is a nuclear-fueled steam electric generating facility located at the confluence of the DesPlaines and Kankakee Rivers near Morris.