• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.317-324
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• 2007

Fluorescence measurements of dissolved organic matter(DOM) have the superior advantages over other analysis tools for applying to water quality management. A preliminary study was conducted to test the feasibility of applying synchronous fluorescence measurements for tracing and monitoring pollution sources in a small stream located in an upstream area of the Sooyoung watershed in Busan. The water quality of the small stream is affected by leachate from sawdust pile and discharge of untreated sewage. The sampling sites included an upstream site, two pipes discharging untreated sewage, leachate from sawdust, and a downstream site. Of the five field samples, the leachate was distinguished from the other samples by a high peak at a lower wavelength range and a blunt peak at 350nm, suggesting that synchronous fluorescence can be used as a discrimination tool for monitoring the pollution. The efficacy of various indices derived from the spectral features to discriminate the pollution source was tested for well-defined mixture of the sawdust leachate and the upstream stream by comparing (1)the difference between measured values and those predicted based on mass balance and the characteristics of the two samples and (2)the linear correlations between index values and mass ratios of the sample mixtures. Of various discrimination indices selected, fluorescence intensities at 276 nm$({\Delta}\lambda=30nm)$and 347 nm$({\Delta}\lambda=60nm)$ were suggested as promising potential discrimination indices for the sawdust pollution source. Despite the limited number of samples and the study area, this study illustrates the evaluation process that should be followed to develop rapid, low-cost discrimination indices to monitor pollution sources based on end member mixing analyses.