Assessment of Surface Water Quality in Suburban Golf Courses in Korea

In the current study, we examined the quality of surface water in ponds at two golf courses, located in southern (Country Club P) and eastern (Country Club B) areas of Korea respectively. Seasonal measurements were made of following physical parameters;pH, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, chloride, alkalinity, hardness, and nitrogen compounds [$NH_3$-N, $NO_2$-N, $NO_3$-N] and the concentrations of four heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) throughout the courses. The pH values were within the alkaline range (7.3 to 9.0), and the biological oxygen demand was generally between 0.5 and 3.1 mg/L. The alkalinity and hardness ranged from 19.1 to 68.5mg/L and 16.1 to 63.6 mg/L, respectively. Nitrogen as ammonium $(NH_3-N)$ was detected in all samples, and the samples had low concentrations of $NO_2-N$ and $NO_3-N$. Cd concentrations were relatively high (to 22.44 mg/L); the highest Cd concentration was observed in the pond in Country Club P. Other metal concentrations were low compared to the Quebec guidelines.