(1) Monitoring.

(a) Any discharge authorized by a general permit may be subject to such monitoring requirements as may be reasonably required by the department, including the installation, use, and maintenance of monitoring equipment or methods (including, where appropriate, biological monitoring methods). These monitoring requirements would normally include but are not limited to:

(i) Flow (in gallons per day or other appropriate units);

(ii) All pollutants on which limitations have been placed pursuant to WAC 173-226-070;

(iii) Pollutants (either directly or indirectly through the use of accepted correlation coefficients or equivalent measurements) that are subject to reduction or elimination under the terms and conditions of the permit;

(iv) Pollutants that the department finds could have a significant impact on the quality of waters and sediments of the state; and

(v) Pollutants specified by the administrator, in regulations issued pursuant to the FWPCA, as subject to monitoring.

(b) Each effluent flow or pollutant required to be monitored pursuant to (a) of this subsection shall be monitored at intervals sufficiently frequent to yield data that reasonably characterizes the nature of the discharge of the monitored effluent flow or pollutant.

(c) Monitoring for compliance with limitations imposed pursuant to WAC 173-226-070 shall be no less than once per year.

(d) Variable effluent flows and pollutant levels may be monitored at more frequent intervals than relatively constant effluent flows and pollutant levels, which may be monitored at less frequent intervals.

(e) Monitoring of intake water, influent to treatment facilities, internal waste streams, and/or receiving waters may be required by the department, to verify compliance with net discharge limitations or removal requirements, to verify that proper waste treatment or control practices are being maintained, or to determine the effects of the discharge on the waters and sediments of the state.

(2) Recording of monitoring activities and results. Any general permit which requires monitoring of an authorized discharge shall require that:

(a) The permittee maintain records of all information resulting from any monitoring activities required as a condition of the application for, or as a condition of coverage under a general permit;

(b) Any records of monitoring activities and results shall include for all samples:

(i) The date, exact place, and time of sampling;

(ii) The dates analyses were performed;

(iii) Who performed the analyses;

(iv) The analytical techniques/methods used; and

(v) The results of such analyses; and

(c) The permittee retain for a minimum of five years any records of monitoring activities and all results of those activities including all original strip chart recording for continuous monitoring instrumentation and calibration and maintenance records. This period of retention shall be extended during the course of any unresolved litigation regarding the discharge of pollutants by the permittee, or when requested by the department or regional administrator.

(3) Reporting of monitoring results.

(a) The department may require the permittee to periodically report on the proper reporting form, the monitoring results obtained pursuant to monitoring requirements in a general permit. In addition to the required reporting form, the department may require submission of such other reports as it determines to be necessary.

(b) Monitoring reports shall be signed by:

(i) In the case of corporations, a responsible corporate officer or duly authorized representative, if such representative is responsible for the overall operation of the facility from which the discharge originates.

(ii) In the case of a partnership, a general partner.

(iii) In the case of a sole proprietorship, the proprietor.

(iv) In the case of a municipal, state, or other public facility, either a principal executive officer, ranking elected official, or other duly authorized employee.

(4) Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section, all monitoring data required as a condition of a general permit, or required as part of an application for coverage under a general permit shall be prepared by a laboratory registered or accredited under the provisions of chapter 173-50 WAC within one year of first being covered under a general permit or by July 1, 1995, whichever is later.

(5) The following parameters need not be accredited or registered:

(a) Flow;

(b) Temperature;

(c) Settleable solids;

(d) Conductivity, except that conductivity shall be accredited if the laboratory must otherwise be registered or accredited;

(e) pH, except that pH shall be accredited if the laboratory must otherwise be registered or accredited;

(f) Turbidity, except that turbidity shall be accredited if the laboratory must otherwise be registered or accredited; and

(g) Parameters which are used solely for internal process control.