Determination of polyacrylamide (PAM) concentration in soil waters is important in improving the efficiency of PAM application and understanding the environmental fate of applied PAM. In this study, concentrations of anionic PAM with high molecular weight in soil waters containing salts and dissolved organic matter (DOM) were determined quantitatively by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with ultraviolet (UV) absorbance detection. Polyacrylamide was separated from interferential salts and DOM on a polymeric gel column eluted with an aqueous solution of 0.05 M KH2PO4 and then detected at a short UV wavelength of 195 nm. Analysis of PAM concentrations in soil sorption supernatants, soil leachates, and water samples from irrigation furrow streams showed that SEC is an effective approach for quantifying low concentrations (0-10 mg L(-1)) of PAM in waters containing soil DOM and salts. The method has a lower detection limit of 0.02 microg and a linear response range of 0.2 to 80 mg L(-1). Precision studies gave coefficients of variation of < 1.96% (n = 4) for > 10 mg L(-1) PAM and < 12% (n = 3) for 0.2 to 3 mg L(-1) PAM.