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ASource Reduction Success- Gold Seal Plating Gold Seal Plating is a company of 18 to 36 employees that provides nickel,copper,silver,and gold platingofjewelry and flexible circuits. Gold Seal Plating performs rack and barrel plating and operates both manual and automatic plating lines: Gold Seal.Plating began targeting its hazardous rinsewaters for source reduction in 1980. In late 1995,Gold Seal Plating reached the goal that many metal plating facilities are trying to achieve-zero water discharge.Gold Seal Plating did notbecome azerowater discharge facility quickly. They achieved this status through a systematic approach that included commitmem, good research and planning,some cormnon sense,good employee relations,and trial anderror. Gold Seal Plating began its source reduction approach by.first considering the lowcost, common sense approaches..These:approaches included. improved bath maintenance • fog rinsing above.heated process baths • recuse of drag-out solutions in heated baths • reuse of spray rinses in rinse tanks • electrocleaner purification: • countercurrent rinsing i electrowinning to recover precious metals from rinse tanks By incorporating these changes,the metals loading into the rinsewater was reduced by 90% and the rinsewater flow rate was reduced from 15 gallons per minute(gpm)to 6 gpm. Gold • Seal Plating wantedto fiartherimprove its rinsewater quality without requiring the useof more city water,additional wastewater treatment,or increasing its discharge to the sewer, Gold Seal Plating installed.an ion exchange system to remove the contaminants from the rinsewater, . therebyproviding high,quality demnized water for reuse in the rinse system..Costs per 1000 gallons of rinsewater treated was reduced from$29(on-site treatment)to$6-8(ion exchange). With the use of an evaporation system for the ion exchange regeneram,Cold Seal Plating was able to cap its sewer in January, 1996:. Gold Seal Plating's systematic approach to source reduction had many advantages.:The reduction in metals loading and rinsewater flow allowed Gold SealPlating to select a more cost- effective ion exchange system.Gold Seal Plating installed a:15 gpm ion exchangesystem that allows improvements in rinse water quality and increases inrinsewater use due toproduction changes. Without taking thefirst steps,Gold ScalPlating would havepurchasodalarger,more . costly ion:exchange system.. The higher capital cost of the larger ion exchange system,in addition to the cost of waste treatment and maintenance,would havelimited expansion of the. system to accommodate increases in production, For its source reduction accomplishments,.Gold Seal Plating received awards from the California Water Environment Association, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation,Santa Clara County,and the U.S. Congress.: In addition, Gold Seal Plating':s recognition as an envirornnentally conscious business has increased its customer base,beyond California. • 4