Opinion ID: 338698
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Clinton Corn and Other Corn Wet Milling Plant Results.

Text: 67 As in the BOD 5 measurements at the Clinton plant, there is a disagreement in the pounds per MSBu figure for the effluent level of TSS. The EPA concludes that a monthly average of 17.6 pounds for the last eleven-month period and an average of 16.0 pounds for the last seven months was achieved. The petitioners conclude that the averages were 34.8 and 25.6 pounds, respectively. 68 The EPA argues that data for the months of July, August and September of 1975 supports the TSS standard of 10 pounds per MSBu. Considering the EPA's conclusions of the Clinton data and eliminating one usually high effluent day, the following effluent levels were achieved: This data reveals: 69 (1) that the 10-pound standard would be exceeded in every month when a variability factor of between 2.2 and 2.6 is applied to these results; 10 and 70 (2) that the TSS levels are uniformly higher than BOD 5 levels even when the treatment is achieving maximum performance levels. 71 The EPA suggests that this second conclusion indicates that the BOD 5 standard could be lowered. We find little merit to this suggestion. When surface condenser wastes and variability factors are given appropriate consideration, the BOD 5 standard appears to be as low as can be consistently achieved. 72 In each of the eleven months of data available from Clinton, the TSS effluent levels have exceeded the corresponding BOD 5 levels. 11 Specifically, the TSS levels range from 3.5 to 24.5 pounds higher than BOD 5 levels. In short, the TSS standard proposed by the EPA finds no support from the Clinton plant data. The effluent levels achieved at other corn wet milling plants, namely CPC-Pekin and American Maize, is equally unsupportive. 73