• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.184-199
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• 2022

Freshwater soundness can be broadly divided into the health of river ecosystems and social services for human water use, that is, water welfare. In this study the ecological soundness and water welfare index of rivers were calculated, and the freshwater comprehensive soundness was analyzed using the quadrant model for 14 basins in the Geum River basin. As for the ecological soundness of the river, the area upstream of the dam (based on Daecheong Dam) was evaluated as 'good', and the area downstream of the dam was evaluated as 'bad'. On the other hand as for water welfare, the area downstream of the dam with a large population was in a relatively 'good' condition, and the area upstream of the dam had a relatively 'poor' level of water welfare. In terms of freshwater comprehensive soundness, it was found that the basins of Mujunamdaecheon, Bocheongcheon and Daecheongdam showed good ecological soundness and water welfare, and the Geumganggongju, Nonsancheon and Geumganhagueon basins were all poor. The Gapcheon basin showed good results in 2014 due to continuous investment and systematic management. Therefore, it is necessary to find ways to utilize it for other watersheds through benchmarking.