Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology (한국환경복원기술학회지)

The Korea Society of Environmental Restoration Technology (한국환경복원기술학회)
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Examination of Soil Contamination Status and Improvement Strategies within Urban Development Projects

도시개발사업 내 토양 오염 현황과 개선 방안 고찰

  • Heo, Sujung (Interdisciplinary Program in Landscape Architecture, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University) ;
  • Lee, Dong-Kun (Interdisciplinary Program in Landscape Architecture, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University) ;
  • Kim, Eunsub (Interdisciplinary Program in Landscape Architecture, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University) ;
  • Jeon, Seong-Woo (Dept. of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University) ;
  • Jin, Zhiying (Department of Landscape Architecture and Rural System Engineering, Seoul National University)
  • 허수정 (서울대학교 환경대학원 협동과정 조경학) ;
  • 이동근 (서울대학교 환경대학원 협동과정 조경학) ;
  • 김은섭 (서울대학교 환경대학원 협동과정 조경학) ;
  • 전성우 (고려대학교 환경생태공학부) ;
  • Received : 2024.04.02
  • Accepted : 2024.05.08
  • Published : 2024.06.30
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Abstract

Heavy metals emitted from urban development do not decompose in the soil and remain for long periods, continually impacting the environment. Since the mid-1990s, there has been increasing societal concern in South Korea regarding soil contamination, prompting various legislative revisions to reduce pollution. This study utilizes the Environmental Impact Assessment Support System (EIASS) to investigate projects in the metropolitan area that have exceeded the Ministry of Environment's soil contamination concern levels from 1989 to 2022 and to examine improvements in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. The results reveal that the average concentrations of nine contaminants-cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), hexavalent chromium (Cr6+), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), and fluoride (F)-have all increased over the years. Among these, Zn had the highest relative proportion, with 37.5% of the 40 sites exceeding environmental concern levels. Investigation of 19 specific projects at these exceedance sites showed that only 7 had documented analyses of contamination causes and remediation plans, and just one had contracted additional remediation services, though results from these efforts were found to be lacking. Furthermore, since 2019, a significant proportion of these sites were involved in residential developments, likely due to government initiatives in new city development and extensive housing supply plans. This research emphasizes the importance of public disclosure of the processes and outcomes of remediation efforts on historically contaminated soils prior to project development. It discusses improvements to the EIA by reviewing current legislation and international examples. The findings of this study are expected to heighten public awareness about heavy metal contamination and enhance transparency in soil remediation efforts, contributing to sustainable environmental management and development.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

본 연구는 환경부의 재원으로 한국환경산업기술원의 ICT기반 환경영향평가 의사결정 지원 기술개발사업의 지원을 받아 연구되었습니다.(2020002990009)

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