RESUMEN Las aguas residuales procedentes de los procesos de recubrimiento metalico, de una empresa de herrajes del sector galvanotecnico en Bucaramanga, fueron objeto de evaluacion, a fin de conocer el impacto ambiental que pueden llegar a generar. El monitoreo se realizo durante un periodo de 2 meses y se recolectaron muestras de los vertimientos liquidos generados por los procesos de recubrimiento; Cobrizado, latonado, niquelado y dorado, a las que se les determinaron parametros fisicos y quimicos relevantes para este tipo de procesos. Durante 2 meses se recolectaron muestras de los vertidos de los procesos de Cobrizado, Niquelado y Latonado, a los cuales se les determinaron los parametros fisicoquimicos. Para evaluar el impacto ambiental que los efluentes de la empresa pueden ocasionar, se diseno una herramienta llamada Indice de Carga Contaminante (I.C.C.) que permite evaluar de forma mas confiable los parametros de contaminacion de este tipo de efluentes. PALABRAS CLAVE: Recubrimiento Metalico, Aguas Residuales, vertimientos liquidos, Indice de Carga Contaminante, Legislacion Ambiental. ABSTRACT Waste waters of the electroplating industry process contaminated with high concentration of heavy metals, acidity, fatty contaminants, and total solids, are a focuses of contamination, when they are poured into urban sewer system. The primary aim of this work was to design a tool to evaluate the environmental impact that could generate metallic electroplating process effluent. This study was supported by a local electroplating company of Bucaramanga city (Santander-Colombia). Company was monitored for two months. The most important physical and chemical Parameters of the waste water were analyzed. The results indicate that parameters studied are above environmental normality limits. ICC was designed with a function of: a) polluting effect of each variable in the effluent quality; this was quantified giving a certain weight or grade of importance to each parameter wi, and b) Quality level of each variable «Q»; that it is quantifies starting from a Standard Scale of Qualification (EEC). The ICC calculated for the company effluent, allowed to qualify them with a denomination between Bad and unpleasant, indicating that they possess a high pollutant load and that they require to be treated before being poured. KEYWORDS: metallic coat, waste water, liquid effluents, Pollutant load index, Environmental Legislation