Abstract
Distributions of fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) in the waters of a small river system in Japan were surveyed in summer when the water volume rose following high precipitation and in winter when it subsided as precipitation declined. The main source of FWAs in the river system was domestic wastewater, and fluxes in the tributaries depended on the size of the residential population and the elimination rates of sewage treatment systems in their catchments, although FWA concentrations in the river itself fluctuated, largely as a consequence of dilution by heavy precipitation and unstable water flows in the small-sized river system. The FWA concentrations in the river waterduring summer decreased not only by the dilution of river water but also by photodegradation because of more prolonged exposure to sunlight.
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Hayakawa, K., Okumura, R., Yamamoto, H. et al. Distribution and fluxes of fluorescent whitening agents discharged from domestic wastewater into small rivers with seasonal changes of flow rates. Limnology 8, 251–259 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-007-0220-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-007-0220-6