Behaviour of industrially added boron in the well mixed Ambika river estuary of South Gujarat, India has been studied along with that of calcium and magnesium. The ratios of Ca : Cl and Mg : Cl at varying chlorinities were always within the normal ranges found in river water at one end and seawater at the other end. B : Cl exceeded the river water end limit at the ebb tide at an upstream station. Percentage addition or removal of boron, calcium and magnesium was calculated using the concept of the theoretical dilution line. The external input raised the boron concentration by 263% in the vicinity of the industrial discharge. A correlation coefficient of −0·82 between chlorinity and percentage addition or removal of boron supports the theory of boron incorporation in sediments in amounts proportional to salinity. Inverse relationship between percentage addition or removal of boron and suspended solids was observed. Behaviour of calcium and magnesium was in line with the replacement of Ca 2+ ions occupying the majority of ion-exchange sites in riverine clays by Mg 2+, Na + and K + during their first encounter with seawater.