An environmental geochemical survey of heavy metal distribution in marine surface sediments around the ocean of Samcheonpo coal-fired power plant was conducted to investigate the possibility of coal-ash leakage from ash pond and the associated heavy metal pollution in sedimental deposits due to the operation of the coal-fired power plant. The X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD) analysis showed that the main leakage point of coal-ash was limited to a single site of the first ash pond. It also appeared that the amounts of organic carbon and metal elements were positively correlated to the grain size distribution, and that Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn were bounded to organic ligands. However, the distributions of Cd, Hg, and Mn did not have any significant correlation with the sediment grain size and organic matters. In particular, the distribution of Cd appeared to be affected by the concentration of the carbonate materials in the study area.

This paper presents a study of water quality model applications in environmental impact statements which were submitted during recent years in Korea. Most of the applications have reported that the development projects would have significant impacts on the water quality, especially, of streams and rivers. The water quality models, however, were hardly used as an impact prediction tool. Even in the cases where models were used, calibration and verification studies were not performed and thus the predicted results would not be reliable. These poor model applications in environmental impact assessment can be attributable to the fact that there were no available model application guidelines as well as no requirements by the review agency. In addition, the expected waste loads were improperly estimated in most cases, especially in non-point sources, and the predicted parameters were not good enough to understand water quality problems expected from the proposed plans. The effects of mitigation measures were not analyzed in most cases. Again, these can be attributed to no formal guidelines available for impact predictions until now. A brief guideline is described in this paper, including model selection, calibration and verification, impact prediction, and analysis of effects of mitigation measures. The results of this study indicate that the model application should be required to overcome the current improper predictions of environmental impacts and the guidelines should be developed in detail and provided.

This paper presents a study of hydrological and hydraulic model applications in environmental impact statements which were submitted during recent years in Korea. In many cases (almost 70 %), the hydrological and hydraulic changes were neglected from the impact identification processes, even if the proposed actions would cause significant impacts on those environmental items. In most cases where the hydrological and hydraulic impacts were predicted, simple equations were used as an impact prediction tool. Computer models were used in very few cases(5%). Even in these few cases, models were improperly applied and thus the predicted impacts would not be reliable. The improper applications and the impact neglections are attributed to the fact that there are no available model application guidelines as well as no requirements by the review agency. The effects of mitigation measures were not analyzed in most cases. Again, these can be attributed to no formal guidelines available for impact predictions until now. A brief guideline is presented in this paper. This study suggested that the model application should be required and guided in detail by the review agency. It is also suggested that the hydrological and hydraulic items shoud be integrated with the water quality predictions in future, since the non-point source pollution runoff is based on the hydrologic phenomena and the water quality reactions on the hydraulic nature.

Removal of ammonia using the porous ceramic biofilter inoculated with earthworm casts was characterized. By assuming a plug air flow in the biofilter and applying the Michaelis-Menten equation, the maximum removal rate of $NH_3$ was $280.7g-N{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$($18.0g-N{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$) at $30^{\circ}C$. $NH_3$ removal rate was increased as temperature increases from $15^{\circ}C$ to $35^{\circ}C$. The maximum removal rate was $285.8g-N{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$($18.8g-N{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$) at $35^{\circ}C$. At $15^{\circ}C$, the $NH_3$ removal rate was $122.8g-N{\cdot}m^{-3}{\cdot}h^{-1}$($8.1g-N{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$). When 210 ppm $NH_3$ was supplied to the biofilter at space velocity of $220h^{-1}$, the removal efficiency of $NH_3$ at 15, 25, 30 and $35^{\circ}C$ was 80, 90, 95, and 96%, respectively. The removal rate of the ceramic biofilter was 3 to 15 times higher than other biofilters comparing the removal efficiency of $NH_3$ per unit volume of carrier. This result indicates that earthworm casts and porous ceramics are very good inoculum source and carrier, respectively, for the $NH_3$-degrading biofilter.

The Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) System has grown up as an adult today in Korea(ROK). It seems that we have only focused on the specific and technical aspects of the assessment without looking at the whole concept during the past 20 years. Thus we have accomplished quantitative growth but not qualitative development at all. This is the right time we should reconstruct the concept and move into the step for qualitative development. It is expected that the corpulence of the EIA system would be enlarged due to the introduction of integrated impact assessment system. It is necessary to introduce a newly designed method into the EIA methodology and improve the Environmental Impact Assessment based on in order to accomplish and manage more effective EIA system. To the conclusion, it is highly necessary to formulate a wholly new system which can be useful to improve the existing various systems and to follow the fundamental concept of EIA.

This study compares the results of environmental impact assessment with the results of post-environmental investigation, using the case of Taean thermal power plant construction. The atmospheric and water qualities were not greatly changed before and after the construction of the power plant. However, the site of the highest concentration predicted by the atmospheric quality modeling in environmental impact assessment was different from that after operation of 4 power plants. There was also a difference in the diffusion range of thermal discharge water between the measured result(1km) and the predicted value(1.5km) with the model. Thus, environmental impact evaluation should be based on long-term (more than a year) environmental monitoring data. For the modeling of atmospheric quality and numerical thermal discharge water diffusion, appropriate models for each plant should be selected and the numerical modeling should be accompanied by computer simulation, wind tunnel test, etc. Moreover, environmental evaluation should focus more on the degree of impact on surroundings than the prediction of changes in surroundings caused by operation of plants.

The purpose of this work was to document the conditions regarding organic solvent exposure to the workers in paint industry. Air concentrations of organic solvents were measured by passive personal samplers and analyzed by a gas chromatography. Urine samples for hippuric test were also taken from 330 workers who have worked at seven domestic factories for more than two years. Amongst 25 organic elements detected in the indoor environment of working places, toluene was the most common element, and methanol showed the highest mean concentration(18.2ppm). A few elements including methylethyl ketone and toluene partially exceeded the Korean Permissible Exposure Limit. A lack of environmental facilities such as exhaust ventilation, automatic cleaning system, and personal safety devices at present work plaus brings about various occupational diseases.

The costs of solid waste management have continued to increase. Stricter environmental regulations have been applied to waste management units. Future integrated solid waste management should be balanced between source reduction, recycling, energy recovery, and land disposal. To achieve more balanced solid waste management programs, more local governments must adopt diversion and recycling goals and finance to meet those goals. The hierarchy of integrated solid waste management must be enforced in a manner that is flexible enough to allow local governments to implement waste management facilities that match the communities' ability to pay for them. In establishing a hierarchy of integrated solid waste management, local governements have difficulties in implementing source reduction and recycling because of a lack of local control and inability to pay for new facilities. Integrated solid waste management involves selecting compatible options for facilities to manage the collection, recovery of energy and materials(transformation), and disposal of solid wastes efficiently. Waste Collection, transformation, and disposal must support source reduction and recycling activities.