ABSTRACT
The longtime threat of water pollution has become an increasingly common and unfortunate reality in years. Juxtaposed to massive oil spills, as epitomized by that of the Exxon Valdez, are large numbers of small spills, especially of petroleum products, but also of chlorinated solvents and other chemicals. At this stage it is clear that an unsettlingly high number of these spill sites pose potential health threats to the public, and that remediation will be required. The next generation of instrumentation, which will be needed very soon, will be required to accurately measure contaminants in the low, parts per billion, or even parts per trillion, range. Various laser-fiber optic systems have been designed and constructed that are capable of detecting trace levels of contaminants in groundwater. An electrochemiluminescence-based system as described in the research effort will prove to be less costly and complex, and is a technique that lends itself to deployment for remote sensing.
