• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2023

The Nakdong river is both a natural resource crucial to underwater ecosystems and a water source for its basin's residents. Industrial wastewater and domestic sewage must meet the relevant standards for discharged water before they can flow into the river. The correlation between old and new measures of organic matter was examined using water quality data from 50 monitoring locations in the main stream of the Nakdong river. The coefficient of determination (R²) for total organic carbon (TOC), the new measure of organic matter, and chemical oxygen demand (COD), the old measure of organic matter, in the main stream of the Nakdong river was 0.6134, indicating high correlation. Water quality at each location assessed using TOC and COD showed disparities that cannot be ignored: quality appeared higher when evaluating the main stream of the Nakdong river using TOC instead of COD. Therefore, there remains a need to review water quality ratings based on TOC; continuous monitoring of COD is also required. In addition, the cause of the difference should be clearly identified to help assess artificial sources of pollution and natural factors affecting organic matter. Water management of the Nakdong river will then be possible using the water quality rating.