• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.345-358
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• 2014

For introducing the groundwater quality assessment using background concentration of groundwater, several methods had been studied to estimate the background concentration of groundwater and to suggest the background concentration of study area. Some methods such as Box whisker plot, Percentile and Cumulative probability distribution had been adopted to estimate background concentration, and it was evaluated that the Cumulative probability distribution method presents more reasonable background concentration because it can consider the data distribution. So we estimated the background concentration of study area using cumulative probability distribution method. We suggested the background concentration for each hydrogeology respectively in case hydrogeological water quality similarity is very low.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.356-365
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• 2021

Background: Concerns have been raised regarding the criteria of groundwater, in particular in Gwangwon-do Province where many residents drink groundwater due to the poor supply of tap water and a high nonconformity rate with water quality criteria nationwide. Objectives: Water quality monitoring and risk assessment were conducted for groundwater in Hoengseong, Gangwon-do Province. Methods: A total of 46 items required for meeting drinking water criteria were analyzed from 258 samples collected from March 2017 through August 2018 (152 sites in 2017 and 106 sites in 2018). Risk assessment was conducted for two non-carcinogens (F^- and NO₃-N), and one carcinogen (i.e., arsenic) based on their high nonconformity to water quality criteria. Results: Water quality analysis revealed that the total proportion of nonconformities was determined to be 27.9%. The nonconformity rate for each content item is as follows: total colony counts (1.6%), total coliform (6.2%), Escherichia coli (1.2%), F^- (8.1%), arsenic (4.7%), NO₃-N (8.1%), pH (1.2%), manganese (0.4%), and turbidity (5.8%). Risk assessment indicated that fluoride induced a hazard quotient greater than 1 with the 95% UCL (Upper Confidence Limit) concentration of the total 258 sites and average, median, and 95% UCL concentrations of nonconformity sites. For NO₃-N, there was no human health risk. For arsenic, the excess cancer risk exceeded the acceptable cancer risk of 1×10^-6 with the average and 95% UCL concentrations of total 258 sites and average, median, and 95% UCL concentrations of nonconformity sites. Conclusions: This study suggests that it is necessary to expand water quality monitoring of groundwater and conduct a more detailed risk assessment in order to establish a health care plan for the residents of Hoengseong, Gangwon-do Province.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.186-195
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• 2021

In Korea, groundwater quality is monitored through National Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network (NGQMN) administered by Ministry of Environment. For a given contaminant, compliance to groundwater quality standards is assessed on a annual basis by monitoring the number of incidents that concentration exceeds the regulatory limit. However, this approach provides only a fractional information about groundwater quality degradation, and more crucial information such as location and severity of the contamination cannot be obtained. For better groundwater quality management on a watershed, a more spatially informative and intuitive method is required. This study presents two statistical methods to convert point-wise monitoring data into information on groundwater quality status of a watershed by using a proposed grading scale. The proposed grading system is based on readily available reference standards that classify the water quality into 4 grades. The methods were evaluated with NO₃^-, Cl^-, and total coliform data in Geum River basin. The analyses revealed that groundwater in most watersheds of Geum River basin is good for domestic or/and drinking with no treatment. But, there was notable quality degradation in Bunam seawall and So-oak downstream standard watersheds contaminated by NO₃^- and Cl^-, respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.115-124
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• 2004

To utilize a closed municipal solid waste landfill site in environmentally secure conditions, it is necessary to verify the stabilization level of landfill leachate. To assess leachate stabilization of an open-dumping municipal solid waste landfill (Noeun Landfill) which is located at the upper drainage basin of Namhan River which flows into Lake Paldang utilized for Seoul Metropolitan water supplies, the surrounding characteristics of the landfill site was surveyed. After then, leachate, groundwater and soil samples from this landfill were chemically analyzed, and the analysis results were evaluated by "The Criteria of Landfill Waste Stabilization(CLWS)", "Discharge Criteria of Landfill Leachate", "The Criteria of Domestic Use in Groundwater Quality", and "Soil Contamination Criteria" promulgated by Korean Ministry of Environment. The closed open-dumping landfill was equipped with the final soil cover, 3 groundwater monitoring wells and poor landfill gas extraction devices for the post-closure management of the landfill. BOD/CODcr ratios in leachate were less than or slightly higher than 1/10. This results seemed to imply that the leachate stabilization level of this landfill based on the CLWS was almost completed. Qualities of groundwater sampled from monitoring wells located at outside of landfill were adequate for "The Criteria of Domestic Use in Groundwater Quality". Finally, concentrations of soil contaminants that were likely to be influenced by this landfill site were adequate to "Soil Contamination Criteria".

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.39-50
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• 2014

The goal of this work is to develop a framework of methods to entirely evaluate effects of LID (Low Impact Development) on soil-groundwater environmental quality as well as land-scape and ecological factors. For this study, we conducted an extensive literature review. As outcomes, soil-groundwater environmental quality is newly conceptualized as a comprehensive index reflecting (i) groundwater pollution sensitivity (hydrogeological factor), (ii) biochemical contamination, and (iii) biodegradability. The methods of classifying and indexing is shown by combining selection of the items to be measured for soil-groundwater environmental quality and integrating the resulted items comprehensively. In addition, from soil-groundwater environmental quality, land-scape and ecological factors in existing environmental impact assessment a method was developed an overall index which can evaluate effects to environment by using GIS (Geographic Information System) and AHP (Analytic Hierachy Process). For optimizing LID planning, designing and post-evaluation, LCIA (Life Cycle Impact Assessment) was regarded as an appropriate method.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.630-635
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• 2013

There is a need to establish systematic procedure of groundwater quality standards, however, there were no specified basis for establishing substances and values in Korean groundwater quality standards for non-drinking water. In this study, we reviewed basis for deriving groundwater quality standard in the developed countries, considering carcinogenic and non-carciongenic risk via inhalation and dermal contact exposure pathways. Also, we reviewed the prior systematic procedure of standards related to water quality (e.g. drinking water, surface water, and wastewater). USEPA RAGS, ASTM RBCA, and Massachusettes presented the formulas for deriving groundwater concentrations of chemicals and there were similarity and differences. We suggests systematic procedure of groundwater quality standards, as follows. (1) Selection of groundwater pollutants population, (2) Possibility of risk assessment, (3) Selection of monitoring priority substances, (4) Monitoring, (5) Risk assessment, (6) Selection of groundwater quality standard candidates, (7) Selection of new substances and values for groundwater quality standards. Especially, groundwater concentration of hazardous material were presented according to revised risk formulas via inhalation and dermal contact.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.7-14
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• 2010

Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) supports a decision-making process such as establishment of environmental quality criteria. Soil quality criteria (SQC) are essential to protect soil organisms from the exposure to various soil contaminants. In this study, ERA methodologies of advanced countries for soil pollution were extensively compared to propose the ERA approach suitable for soil ecosystem in Korea. The soil ERAs in European Chemical Bureau(ECB), The Netherlands, and Canada can be classified as deterministic ecological risk assessment (DERA), and probabilistic ecological risk assessment (PERA) based on species sensitivity distribution (SSD). We propose three ERA methods according to abundance and reliability of soil ecotoxicity data. The method considered land use such as residential/agricultural, and industrial/commercial uses. The taxonomic groups of soil organism were classified as 'Class' level including different trophic levels (Magnoliopsida or Liliopsida, Clitellata, and Insecta or Secernentea). This study can be used to estimate the soil quality criteria to protect soil biota.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.125-132
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• 2000

pH, EC and TDS are basic components in the investigation of groundwater quality, and are very important to the preliminary assessment of groundwater quality. These three chemical components investigated at the Youngsan and Sumjin river basins in 1998 suggest that the groundwater quality is generally good in these basins. Linear regression analysis shows that TDS versus EC has an linear correlation, but EC versus pH, and TDS versus pH have nearly no correlation. The relation of TDS and EC is 1.0 mg/1=1.52 $mu\textrm{S}$/cm, and it is the quality of natural water. In geostatistical analysis. three kinds of data are stationary random functions and they have exponential variograms. According to the isopleth maps of the groundwater quality, the groundwater quality of the Youngsan river basin is more contaminated than that of the Sumjin river basin. The isopleth maps of TDS and EC show very similar patterns because of the strong correlation between TDS and EC. The minimum and maximum values of the groundwater quality data are not reflected on the isopleth maps because kriging produces smooth distributions with minimum estimation variances.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2021

We investigated hydrochemical and stable isotope characteristics of groundwater in a large agricultural plain, the Honam plain, to evaluate the adequacy of agricultural water supply. For preliminary assessment for the area, we collected 23 groundwater samples from domestic wells and conducted hydrochemical and water stable isotope analysis. Groundwater in the study area is mainly Ca-HCO3 type resulting from water-rock interactions. Stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions indicated that recharge water is derived from precipitation while some sampling sites had evaporation signatures. Irrigation water quality using sodium absorption ratio and salinity hazard showed most of the groundwater samples were found to be suitable for irrigation. The groundwater in the southwestern part of the study area was affected by both seawater intrusion and agricultural activities, indicating a higher possibility of groundwater contamination near the coastal areas. Elevated concentrations of nitrate and phosphate ions in the groundwater are considered to be influenced by anthropogenic activities such as fertilizer application. It is expected that this study would be able to provide preliminary information on groundwater quality for agricultural water supply in the Mangyeong-Dongjin watershed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.556-565
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• 2003

A quality assurance safety assessment database, called QUARK (QUality Assurance Program for Radioactive Waste Management in Korea), has been developed to manage both analysis information and parameter database for safety assessment of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) disposal facility in Korea. QUARK is such a tool that serves QA purposes for managing safety assessment information properly and securely. In QUARK, the information is organized and linked to maximize the integrity of information and traceability. QUARK provides guidance to conduct safety assessment analysis, from scenario generation to result analysis, and provides a window to inspect and trace previous safety assessment analysis and parameter values. QUARK also provides default database for safety assessment staff who construct input data files using SAGE(Safety Assessment Groundwater Evaluation), a safety assessment computer code.