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COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, Water Quality Control Division Rationale - Page 9. Permit No. CO-0000132. VI. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PERMIT Discharge point 011 is a new source. The regulation provides more detailed guidance on the application of salinity standards developed pursuant to Section 204 of the Colorado Water Quality Control Act. The objective of the regulation is to have, whenever practicable, a no-salt return policy for industrial discharges. For new discharge permits or sources, such as 011, a report is required as part of [he regulation. Because the regulation provides for a waiver from the no-salt discharge requirement when the salt load reaching the Colorado River is less than one ton per day or 350 tons per year, whichever is less, the Division has chosen to establish this salt loading as a permit limit, and thereby waive the report requirement. For discharge point 011, since it is a new source, the permit limit to meet the stated requirement has been established as follows: 350 tons per year is equal to 700,000 pounds per year, which is equal to 1917.8 pounds per dog, which equates to 1064 mg/1 (as a daily maslmum) for a discharge of 0.216 MGD. In compliance with this regulation the permittee must monitor far TDS at 011 on a monthly basis. 5. Whole Effluent Tonicity (WET) Testing: For this facility, acute WET testing is required at 011. See Parts I.A and I.B of the permit.) Monitoring shall be performed commencing with the first full calendar quarter following the permit effective date. a) Purpose of WET Testing: Section 6.9.7 of the Regulations for the State Discharge Permit System (6.1.0), passed by the Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC), has established the use of WEf testing as a method for identifying and controlling toxic discharges from wastewater treatment facilities. WET testing is being utilized as a means to ensure that there are no discharges "in amounts, concentrations or combinations which are harmful to the beneficial uses or tonic to humans, animals, plants, or aquatic life" as required by Section 3.1.11 (1)(d) of the Basic Standards and Methodologies. Chemical analysis of effluent has provided only a partial evaluation of the potential impact a discharge could have on the receiving stream. Also, chemical analysis cannot evaluate the synergistic or antagonistic effect of compounds. There are also compounds for which an accurate or reproducable method of chemical analysis has not yet been developed, as well as compounds which are just beginning to be evaluated for toxic effects. WET testing will provide a more comprehensive means of evaluating the tonicity of a discharge than could otherwise currently be accomplished.