Abstract
The determinations of ammonia in water for drinking purpose served as one basis of judging the sanitary quality of water for a great many years. However, presently ammonia regulation varies depending on countries. In USA and Canada, ammonia is added to water for chloramination process. However, for korea, there is ammonia regulation of treated water in Korea which should not exceed 0.5mg/l as $NH_3-N$. There was a report exceeding 0.5mg/l of ammonia in chlorinated water when the famous drinking water contamination episode happened in the downstream of Nadong River, 1994. With lack of sewer distribution system and treatment plants of domestic wastes, many water treatment plants have a difficulty of complying with ammonia regulation in treated water. Breakpoint chlorination is usually performed to get rid of ammonia. The method which is allowed to measure ammonia in Korea is Phenate method. However, it would be undesirable to use Phenate method for measuring ammonia in chlorinated water if Phenate method would not differentiate ammonia from chloramine. A good possibility of interferences in measurement of ammonia exists because Phenate method include the step of the formation of chlorine and would not differentiate chloramine which is formed as a result of reaction between chlorine and ammonia. This study was on inaccuracy of Phenate method for measuring ammonia of chlorinated water when chloramine and ammonia coexist. This study found that Phenate method measured all chlormaine as ammonia. Ammonia measurement by ion chromatography confirmed this results. Finally, the result from this study suggests that ammonia measurement by Phenate method in chlorinated water should be revised accordingly.