Real-time UV-Vis tech detects stormwater pollutants threatening urban water supplies.
Stormwater runoff can contain harmful pollutants like bacteria, impacting water quality. Scientists used a UV-Vis spectrophotometer to monitor water quality during storms in Australia. They found that nitrate and DOC levels decreased as water levels rose, while turbidity and suspended solids increased. However, bacteria levels did not correlate well with these parameters, possibly due to different sources of bacteria in stormwater.