A method for monitoring pesticides bound to suspended particles in small streams

A uspended article ampler (SPS) is described with which pesticides bound to suspended particles can be readily monitored in small streams. Retention of the grain-size fraction below 0.02 mm grain diameter depends on the velocity of flow through the device, averaging 50% for 0.05 m s−1 and 15% for 0.41 m s−1. The advantage of the SPS lies in its simple, economical construction and in the slight expenditure of time and effort needed to use it. Comparison with other methods of monitoring short-term pesticide contamination shows that the contamination values provided by the SPS describe the actual contamination dynamics considerably better than do the data obtained by conventional sampling of suspended sediments.