Lombard v. Pollution Control Board

The critical issue here is whether the Pollution Control Board, created by the Environmental Protection Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 111 1/2, pars. 1001, 1005), has authority under that act to adopt regulations mandating the regional treatment of water in counties. The Pollution Control Board promulgated a regulation whereby it divided Du Page County into nine water-treatment regions. (Rules 1101 through 1114 of part XI of chapter 3 (Water Pollution).) Each region, comprised of more than one unit of local government, was required to establish a centralized water-treatment program. The regulations were designed to compel cooperation in water treatment. A proliferation of numerous, small sewage-treatment plants in densely populated Du Page County constituted a severe impediment to the eradication of present water pollution and a threat of future water pollution.