An advanced but simple to use traceable polymer system based on immunoassay techniques has been developed that allows determination of ppm levels of polymer. The system is composed of a tagged polymer and a simple strip test kit that allows detection of greater than, less than or equal to three discrete levels of free polymer in water, namely 2, 5 and 10 ppm. The test takes about 10 minutes to run, contains no hazardous materials, and is free of interferences from common water treatment contaminants. The tagged polymers-an AA/S copolymer and an AA/S/N terpolymer-are fully equivalent in adsorption, dispersing power and crystal stabilization to their well-known untagged analogues. Data are presented that illustrate the use of this traceable polymer system in practical applications and further shows how the system can provide new insights into the mechanism of how dispersants function in water treatment programs. Keywords: Traceable polymer, tagged polymer, immunoassay, dispersant, adsorption, polymeric stabilizer, detection, monitor, dosage, strip test.