Chemical Characteristics of Groundwater in Carbonate Rock Areas of Korea

This study was conducted to understand the chemical characteristics of groundwater in carbonate areas of Korea. In this study, data on pH, electric conductivity (EC), $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Na^+$, $K^+$, $Cl^-$, $SO_4{^{2-}}$, and $HCO_3{^-}$ were collected from 97 wells which were installed in various carbonate rock regions of Korea. The pH values ranged from 5.7 to 9.9, and the average value was 7.3. The concentration range showed differences between the maximum value of $HCO_3{^-}$ and the medium to minimum values of $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Na^+$, $Cl^-$, $SO_4{^{2-}}$, and $K^+$ in the study area. The average value of EC was $374{\mu}S/cm$, higher than in granite and gneiss areas, where the value is $176{\mu}S/cm$. Most of the groundwater was type $Ca-HCO_3$, and some was type $Mg-HCO_3$. The relationship between $Ca^{2+}$, $Cl^-$, and $HCO_3{^-}$, respectively, and EC showed relatively significant positive correlations compared to the other dissolved components. However, the determination coefficients for $Mg^{2+}$, $Na^+$, $SO_4{^{2-}}$, and $K^+$ were very low less than 0.2. These results indicate that the source of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$ is relatively simple (carbonate dissolution) compared to other sources. The sources of $Na^+$, $K^+$, $Cl^-$, $SO_4{^{2-}}$, and $HCO_3{^-}$ might be not only water-rock interactions, but also irrigation return flow, because many groundwater wells had been developed for irrigation purposes. Subsequently, the influence of agriculture on groundwater chemistry was evaluated using a cumulative plot of $SO_4{^{2-}}$. The threshold value of $SO_4{^{2-}}$ calculated from the cumulative frequency curve was 29.2 mg/L. Therefore, 12.4% of all the groundwater wells were affected by agricultural activity.