This study evaluated the contribution of the aromatic hydrocarbons used in large quantities in processing polyester textile products to deterioration of water quality. Biphenyl, a chemical used in processing polyester carpet, received major attention due to the concentration of carpet processing in northeast Georgia. An analytical procedure for detecting biphenyl based on luminescence spectroscopy was developed. The procedure is capable of detecting biphenyl in water at concentrations less than 5 micrograms-per-liter. The concentrations found in effluents from plants treating spent carpet dyeing wastes suggest that biphenyl content is little affected by differences in the degree of treatment ranging from none to secondary treatment in municipal plants. Biphenyl concentration decreases rapidly downstream with volatilization into the atmosphere being the most probable loss mechanism. Water samples containing biphenyl were subjected to conditions expected to exist during chlorination of waste treatment plant effluents, and no evidence of conversion of biphenyl to chlorinated species was found. Luminescence studies on water samples from a number of Georgia streams (including municipal water supplies) revealed several organic compounds besides biphenyl. (Modified author abstract)