Impact of Pig Slurry from WangGoong Farm Cluster on Water Quality of the Iksan Stream

Livestock wastewater is being discharged without treatment from Hasen's pig farm cluster in WangGoong (WG) area into the Iksan Stream, eventually flowing into the ManGyung (MG) at the upstream junction. Although it is well known that before discharge, wastewater must satisfy the pig slurry discharge standards; because of ongoing remodeling, proper treatment is not being performed. According to public records, wastewater from the WG pig farm cluster is responsible for 3.6% of MG River pollution and 2.0% of the SaeManGuem (SMG) Reservoir pollution. As a result, upstream water treatment quality has become primary concern for development of the SMG project. All physicochemical constituents and pathogenic microbes, such as chemical oxygen demand ($COD_{Cr}$), biochemical oxygen demand ($BOD_5$), total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP), fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli and Salmonella at the effluent of WG Plant (S-1) exceed the effluent standards. This is mainly due to insufficient wastewater treatment: the WG Plant is under renovation to increase water purification efficiency. By comparing the water quality at the S-7 junction, where the the Iksan Stream (pig farms) and the Wanggoong Stream (no pig farms) merge, it is clear that farming facilities and improper treatment can critically affect surrounding water quality. While it is clear throughout this study that the level of all physicochemical parameters and pathogenic microbes along the Stream decreased due to sedimentation, biodegradation and/or dilution. An alarming problem was discovered: the existence of pathogenic microbe count(E coli, Salmonella) in the lagoon wastewater and the stream water. Not only were high concentrations of these pathogens themselves found, but the potential existence of more serious pathogens could rise to more dangerous conditions.