A water sample was taken once a day for 15 months at a site near an estuary of the Kako River, Japan, to estimate nutrient loads from rivers to the sea. Total phosphorus (T-P), total nitrogen (T-N), suspended solids (SS) and electronic conductivity (EC) were measured. T-P and SS concentrations varied in proportion to the discharge, and T-P concentrations increased with those of SS, too. EC varied inversely with the discharge, but the fluctuations of T-N concentrations were less than those of T-P and SS concentrations. Water quality remained, for the most part, constant throughout the day. T-P, T-N and SS load were 181t/year, 2320t/year and 51000t/year in 1992, respectively, 54% of T-P load, 47% of T-N load and 80% of SS loads outflowed in those cases where the discharge was more than 100 m3/s, which were 36 days in 1992. 79% of T-P load, 69% of T-N load and 92% of SS load outflowed in periods of high water discharge, which were 88 in 1992. T-P and T-N loads calculated by using one day's data in every month were 151t/year and 2450t/year. But nutrient loads calculated by using the average value of data from an ordinary discharge were two or three times lower than calculated yearly loads. These results showed the importance of estimating the yearly load considering the discharge condition and sampling at a time of high water discharge.
