The growing need for multielement analytical capability is currently being emphasized by the ever broadening governmental regulations on metallic pollutants in water sources. These new regulations cover more elements and are more restrictive in the type and amounts allowable in waste water and natural sources. For example, the California Public Health Law of 1970 states that 0.01 ppm arsenic, 1.0 ppm barium, 0.01 cadmium, 0.05 ppm manganese and 5.0 ppm zinc are the limiting concentrations of these elements in drinking water. Monitoring programs, both for compliance-enforcement and general survey work, have become a greater burden on both governmental agencies and private inductries. While trace analysis in solutions presents certain difficulties to the analytical chemist, regardless of the technique used, the results of this study indicate that x-ray analysis provides a more useful analytical tool for routine work and offers multielement capability with minimal sample preparation.