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CALCULATING DESIGNATED LEVELS Water Quality Standards Obtain information on the Obtain information on the from the applicable site of waste discharge. waste to be discharged. Water Quality Control Plans What bodies of water may be or have been affected? What factors may influence What are the beneficial uses the attenuation of waste of those bodies of water? constituents as they migrate to water? What are the water quality objectiv to protect those beneficial uses?es What numerical water quality limits Estimate the magnitude will implement all applicable of the attenuation of water quality objectives? constituents between waste and water at the site. Choose the most limiting of those water quality limits. Water Quality Goal Attenuation Factor SOLUBLE DESIGNATED LEVEL Is there a consistent ratio of total to leachable waste Leachability Factor constituent concentrations? TOTAL DESIGNATED LEVEL Figure 5 of the state. dispersion,dilution,chemical reaction,biodegradation, For the site in question,wastes having soluble con- and partitioning. By collecting data on the waste con- stituent concentrations in excess of their calculated stituents and on the site in question,the amount or Designated Levels are assumed to pose a threat to wa- degree of attenuation which would be expected to oc- ter quality and are classified as"designated wastes". cur as the constituents migrate from the location of These wastes are required to be discharged to waste waste discharge to either ground or surface water may management units which isolate them from the envi- be estimated. In The Designated Level Methodology,the ronment. smallest degree of attenuation that would be expected to occur for the particular constituent at the specific site Environmental Attenuation Factors of discharge is approximated by an"environmental There are a variety of natural processes which act attenuation factor". The greater the amount of attenua- to attenuate(reduce the concentrations of)waste con- tion that is expected to occur,the larger the attenuation stituents as they migrate through the environment. factor that would be assigned. These processes,which are collectively grouped under As shown in Figure 6,there are a variety of site- the term"environmental fate",include sorption, specific and constituent-specific characteristics which chemical binding,ion exchange,filtration,diffusion, influence the magnitude of attenuation that may be Page 4 Sumrnary of The Designated Level Methodology