Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is a well-known chelating agent, and has numerous applications in industries, for example in dairy industry to improve the cleaning efficiency of plant and equipment. As EDTA is water-soluble and not volatile, it is eventually released into the environment with wastewater effluent. In general, EDTA has a low toxic impact for both humans and natural environments. There are some concerns, however, about its poor biodegradation in conventional wastewater treatment plants and natural environments, and its effect in mobilizing heavy metals from solid phases to pose a risk to groundwater. In the late 1980's the environmental impact of EDTA was scrutinized in Europe. Since then, treatment and discharge of wastewater containing EDTA is increasingly required as environmental regulations become more stringent. This is the first investigation into the effects of EDTA in New Zealand. In the New Zealand dairy industry, EDTA has been used as an additive alongside caustic agents to improve cleaning efficiency within dairy processing plants and to minimize dairy wastewater discharge into the environment. There are two main disposal methods of dairy wastes; direct discharge into the local stream after treatment, and spray irrigation onto pasture land. The primary aim of this research is to identify whether EDTA is detectable in the environment after the release of dairy wastes containing EDTA into that environment. For the first time in New Zealand, an analytical method using reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatography, was established to determine EDTA present in dairy wastewater, and then applied to surface water, soils and groundwater with appropriate modifications. Method detection limits were 5 g/L for dairy wastewater, 1 g/L for surface water, 0.15 mg/kg (dry weight) for soils, and 2 g/L for groundwater. Significant concentrations of EDTA, as high as 83 mg/L, were observed in wastewater from dairy processing plants, when EDTA had been used alongside alkaline cleaning agents. The analyses have shown that approximate 93 % of EDTA was removed in the existing biological treatment process, which is an extended aeration activated sludge process, operated under alkaline pH 8.0-8.2 with a 3-week sludge retention time. For surface water receiving the dairy effluent, 1 - 2.7 g/L of EDTA were found, and no particular concerns were suggested about the associated heavy metals. A quasi one-dimension vertical mixing model and a two-dimension (depth-averaged) 3DD hydrodynamic model were applied to simulate EDTA dispersion in the river. The modelling results for 'a worst case scenario' of high EDTA release combined with a low river flow, suggest that the dairy effluent discharge at the Fonterra Waitoa dairy site will not lead to a significant effect on the Waitoa River in terms of EDTA concentration. Investigation of EDTA and heavy metal concentrations in pastoral topsoil and groundwater following the land application of dairy biomass concludes that there are no specific concerns. In contrast, the analyses suggest that heavy metals may be built up over long periods of irrigation with dairy effluent in soils, and then transported to the groundwater in the presence of EDTA. However, more research would be required to clarify this matter.