Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate pollutant loading, were quality and plant distribution of 8 streams which are tributaries of the Youngsan River. The nitrate reductase activity (NRA) and nutrient removall capacity of the most frequently occurring aquatic plants on streamside were also determined. As a result, the pollutant loading appeared to be correlated with the area of watershed, while the water quality was related to the land use pattern of each steam. The aquatic plants were distributed differently among the streams; Hydrilla verticillata - Potamogeton crispus, Numphoides peltata - Hydrocharis dubia and Polygonum thunbergii - Phragmites japonica were dominant at the Orye Chon, Jungan Chon, Whangryong River and Jiseok Chon, while potamogeton crispus - Lemma paucicostata, Zizania latifolia - Phragmites communis were dominant at the Youngam Chon and Munpyeong Chon. Persicaria hydropiper and Echinochloa crus-galli var. oryzicola were dominant at Kwangju Chon which was polluted with domestic wastewater. >From the measurement of leaf NRA for dominant species, the highest value of NRA was shown by the Polygonum thunbergii, followed by Oenanthe javanica > Phragmites communis > Zizania latifolia > Lemma paucicostata. The highest nitrogen and phosphorus removal capacity was found in Phragmites communis.