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the form of an addendum, dated and signed by the individual qualified to technically certify the plan, and incorporated into the Plan by reference. A Source Reduction Success - Gold Seal Plating Gold Seal Plating is a company in California of 18 to 36 employees that provides nickel,copper, silver,andgold plating of jewelry and flexible circuits. Gold Seal Plating performs rack and barrel platingand 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 not become a zero water discharge facilityquickly. They achieved this status through a systematic approach that included commitment,good re- search and planning,some common sense,good employee relations,and trial and error. Gold Seal Plating began its source reduction approach by first considering the low cost, common sense approaches. These approaches included: • Improved bath maintenance • Fog rinsing above heated process baths • Reuse of drag-out solutions in heated baths • Reuse of spray rinses in rinse tanks • Electrocleaner purification • Countercurrent rinsing • 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 wanted to further improve its rinsewater quality without requiring the use of more city water,ad- ditional wastewater treatment,or increasing its discharge to the sewer. Gold Seal Plating installed an ion exchange system to remove the contaminants from the rinsewater,thereby providing high quality deionized 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 G� v� system for the ion exchange regenerant,Gold Seal Plating was able to cap its sewer in January, U 1996. Gold Seal Plating's systematic approach to source reduction had many advantages. The reduction Q. cv in metals loading and rinsewater flow allowed Gold Seal Plating to select a more costeffective ion exchange system. Gold Seal Plating installed a 15 gpm ion exchange system that allows improve- ments in rinse water quality and increases in rinsewater use due to production changes.Without (.� taking the first steps,Gold Seal Plating would have purchased a larger,more costly ion exchange M system. The higher capital cost of the larger ion exchange system, in addition to the cost of waste s. treatment and maintenance,would have limited expansion of the system to accommodate increas- es in production. c� For its source reduction accomplishments,Gold Seal Platin P � g received awards from the California S Water Environment Association, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Peninsula Conservation Cen- ter Foundation,Santa Clara County,and the U.S. Congress. In addition, Gold Seal Plating's recogni- tion as an environmentally-conscious business has increased its customer base beyond California. 24