A number of studies have so far been conducted to assess the magnitude of pollution generated by domestic and industrial sources in the Istanbul Metropolitan Area. They indicate that a management scheme for wastewater treatment and disposal should involve a total discharge of 15.4 m3 s(-1) with a potential pollution load of 330 tons BOD5 day(-1) for 1990. A scheme of this magnitude inevitably requires careful evaluation of receiving water characteristics, both from an oceanographic and a quality standpoint. In this paper significant water quality parameters related to the Black Sea-Bosphorus Strait-Marmara Sea System are reviewed and incorporated in the evaluation of treatment and disposal alternatives. In this context, the pollution exchange between the Mamara Sea and Bosphorus is quantified, pollutant contents of the Mamara Sea and discharges from the Istanbul Metropolitan Area are compared, and a number of scenarios are evaluated to define the optimum treatment and disposal strategy.