• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.553-566
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• 2018

The occurrence of natural radionuclides like uranium and radon in groundwater was hydrochemically examined based on 40 well groundwaters in Mungyeong area. The range of electrical conductivity (EC) value in the study area was $68{\sim}574{\mu}S/cm$. In addition to the increase of EC value, the content of cations and anions also tends to increase. Uranium concentrations ranged from $0.03{\sim}169{\mu}g/L$ (median value, $0.82{\mu}g/L$) and radon concentrations ranged from 70~30,700 pCi/L (median value, 955 pCi/L). Only 1 out of 40 wells (2.5%) showed uranium concentration exceeding the maximum contaminant level (MCL; $30{\mu}g/L$) proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Radon concentrations of eight wells (20%) exceeded AMCL(Alternative maximum contaminant level) of the US EPA (4,000 pCi/L). Four out of those eight wells even exceeded Finland's guideline level (8,100 pCi/L). When concentrations of uranium and radon were investigated in terms of geology, the highest values are generally associated with granite. The uranium and radon levels observed in this study are low in comparison to those of other countries with similar geological settings. It is likely that the measured value was lower than the actual content due to the inflow of shallow groundwater by the lack of casing and grouting.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.103-115
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• 2000

The formation of brown-colored precipitates is one of the serious problems frequently encountered in the development and supply of groundwater in Korea, because by it the water exceeds the drinking water standard in terms of color. taste. turbidity and dissolved iron concentration and of often results in scaling problem within the water supplying system. In groundwaters from the Pajoo area, brown precipitates are typically formed in a few hours after pumping-out. In this paper we examine the process of the brown precipitates' formation using the equilibrium thermodynamic and kinetic approaches, in order to understand the origin and geochemical pathway of the generation of turbidity in groundwater. The results of this study are used to suggest not only the proper pumping technique to minimize the formation of precipitates but also the optimal design of water treatment methods to improve the water quality. The bed-rock groundwater in the Pajoo area belongs to the Ca-$HCO_3$type that was evolved through water/rock (gneiss) interaction. Based on SEM-EDS and XRD analyses, the precipitates are identified as an amorphous, Fe-bearing oxides or hydroxides. By the use of multi-step filtration with pore sizes of 6, 4, 1, 0.45 and 0.2 $\mu\textrm{m}$, the precipitates mostly fall in the colloidal size (1 to 0.45 $\mu\textrm{m}$) but are concentrated (about 81%) in the range of 1 to 6 $\mu\textrm{m}$in teams of mass (weight) distribution. Large amounts of dissolved iron were possibly originated from dissolution of clinochlore in cataclasite which contains high amounts of Fe (up to 3 wt.%). The calculation of saturation index (using a computer code PHREEQC), as well as the examination of pH-Eh stability relations, also indicate that the final precipitates are Fe-oxy-hydroxide that is formed by the change of water chemistry (mainly, oxidation) due to the exposure to oxygen during the pumping-out of Fe(II)-bearing, reduced groundwater. After pumping-out, the groundwater shows the progressive decreases of pH, DO and alkalinity with elapsed time. However, turbidity increases and then decreases with time. The decrease of dissolved Fe concentration as a function of elapsed time after pumping-out is expressed as a regression equation Fe(II)=10.l exp(-0.0009t). The oxidation reaction due to the influx of free oxygen during the pumping and storage of groundwater results in the formation of brown precipitates, which is dependent on time, $Po_2$and pH. In order to obtain drinkable water quality, therefore, the precipitates should be removed by filtering after the stepwise storage and aeration in tanks with sufficient volume for sufficient time. Particle size distribution data also suggest that step-wise filtration would be cost-effective. To minimize the scaling within wells, the continued (if possible) pumping within the optimum pumping rate is recommended because this technique will be most effective for minimizing the mixing between deep Fe(II)-rich water and shallow $O_2$-rich water. The simultaneous pumping of shallow $O_2$-rich water in different wells is also recommended.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.5 s.174
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• pp.547-561
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• 2005

General characteristics of groundwater contamination by As were reviewed with several recent researches, and its occurrence in groundwater of Korea was investigated based on a ffw previous studies and a groundwater quality survey in Nonsan and Geumsan areas. In Bangladesh, which has been known as the most serious arsenic calamity country, about $28\%$ of the shallow groundwaters exceeded the Bangladesh drinking water standard, $50{\mu}g/L$, and it was estimated that about 28 million people were exposed to concentrations greater than the standard. Groundwater was characterized by circum-neutral pH with a moderate to strong reducing conditions. Low concentrations of $SO_4^{2-}$ and $NO_3^-$, and high contents of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and $NH_4^+$ were typical chemical characteristics. Total As concentrations were enriched in the Holocene alluvial aquifers with a dominance of As(III) species. It was generally agreed that reductive dissolution of Fe oxyhydroxides was the main mechanism for the release of As into groundwater coupling with the presence of organic matters and microbial activities as principal factors. A new model has also been suggested to explain how arsenic can naturally contaminate groundwaters far from the ultimate source with transport of As by active tectonic uplift and glaciatiion during Pleistocene, chemical weathering and deposition, and microbial reaction processes. In Korea, it has not been reported to be so serious As contamination, and from the national groundwater quality monitoring survey, only about $1\%$ of grounwaters have concentrations higher than $10{\mu}g/:L.$ However, it was revealed that $19.3\%$ of mineral waters, and $7\%$ of tube-well waters from Nonsan and Geumsan areas contained As concentrations above $10{\mu}g/:L.$. Also, percentages exceeding this value during detailed groundwater quality surveys were $36\%\;and\;22\%$ from Jeonnam and Ulsan areas, respectively, indicating As enrichment possibly by geological factors and local mineralization. Further systematic researches need to proceed in areas potential to As contamination such as mineralized, metasedimentary rock-based, alluvial, and acid sulfate soil areas. Prior to that, it is required to understand various geochemical and microbial processes, and groundwater flow characteristics affecting the behavior of As.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.80-81
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• 2003

The Swan Coastal Plain, on which the City of Perth (pop. 1.32 million) is situated, is formed of aeolian sands of Pleistocene-Recent age. The mainly unconsolidated sediments build a series of dune lines paralleling the coastline. The near-surface water-table sees expression in numerous shallow freshwater lakes and marshes in the interdunal depressions. The sands are highly permeable, and 〉 70% of the city’s total water supply is derived from this local aquifer. (omitted)

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 2016

Aiming to elucidate the formation processes of Myeonsan wetland around the ridge from Myeonsan peak to Seokgae pass, this paper analyzes the geomorphic, physical and chemical characteristics of the wetland. The results are as follow: Firstly, resistant bedrock and big boulders distributed on the riverbed of the small channel from the wetland to Seokgaecheon have played a role as a temporary base level. At the upstream part above this point, a wide and shallow depression was formed and developed into a wetland. There was a gorge covered with boulders at downstream part. Secondly, owing to the obstacles at the outlet of wetland, deposits on bed tend to be downstream coarsening. Finally, deposits show weak acidity of pH 5.0~5.7. The source of wetland water is groundwater containing rich Ca and Na. Trees in the wetland help much more Ca accumulated. And deposit biotite and amphibole contained rich Mg have been weathered in the wetland.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 1997

The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of using stable isotopes as a hydrologic tracer, and to elucidate the groundwater circulation system and the source of S component dissolved in thermal water of the Chonju Jukrim thermal spring district based on the O, H and S isotopic variabilities of environmental materials including bedrock, rainwater, surface water, shallow subsurface water and thermal spring water. The ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}D$ of subsurface waters and surface water show highly restricted range and plotted on the same meteoric water line as a ${\delta}D=8{\delta}^{18}O+19$ line, and derivate from the mean annual isotopic composition of the rain water but are analogous to those of rain waters precipitated during winter season, indicating that ground waters are originated from the meteoric water and are strongly affected by the seasonal variation of air mass. Thermal spring waters are more depleted in ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}D$ than those of shallow ground water and surface water. It can be explained by the difference of recharge area. The hydrochemical properties of subsurface waters and surface water devide into two groups: $Ca(HCO_3)_2$ type including shallow subsurface water and surface water, and $Na(HCO_3)$ type of thermal spring waters. The ${\delta}^{34}S$ values of thermal spring water show very high positive and quitely distinct from those of shallow subsurface water and surface water that are similar to those of bed rocks, indicating that sulfate dissolved in thermal spring water has not only a terrigenic origin, but also originates partially from the foreign source containing very heavy ${\delta}^{34}S$ component such as an ancient sea water. However, the presence of $H_2S$ can not be ignore the affact of the isotopic fractionation to explaine the heavy ${\delta}^{34}S$ of thermal spring water. Overall, the Oxygen and Hydrogen stable isotopes can identify the source and the circulation system of the natural waters and the S-isotopes can provide a crucial clue on tracing the dissolved material transports in the circulation system of the natural water.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.403-418
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• 2007

The objective of this research was to characterize the fate and transport of Cr(VI) contaminated groundwater in the Daejeon industrial area. Five subsidiary monitoring wells were newly installed and two existing wells were utilized for the investigation and the reduction process of Cr(VI) contaminated groundwater of the Daejeon(Mun-pyeong) national groundwater monitoring station. The Cr(VI) concentrations at the shallow aquifer well of the station were in the range of 3.2-4.5 mg/L indicating continuous contamination. However, Cr was not detected at the deep bedrock well and the other monitoring wells except MPH-1 and 3. The Cr(VI) concentrations of MPH-1 and MPH-3 were below the drinking water guideline value (0.05 mg/L). Therefore, the plume of the Cr(VI) contaminated groundwater was predicted to be confined within the narrow boundary around the station. The soluble/exchangeable Cr(VI) concentrations were below the detection limit in all core and slime samples taken from the five newly installed wells. Although the exact source of contamination was not directly detected in the study area, the spatial Cr(VI) distribution in groundwater and characteristics of the core samples indicated that the source and the dispersion range were confined within the 100 m area from the monitoring station. The contamination might be induced from the unlined landfill of industrial wastes which was observed during the installation of an subsidiary monitoring well. For the evaluation of the natural attenuation of Cr(VI), available reduction capacities of Cr(VI) with an initial concentration of 5 mg/L were measured in soil and aquifer materials. Dark-gray clay layer samples have high capacities of Cr(VI) reduction ranging from 58 to 64%, which is obviously related to organic carbon contents of the samples. The analysis of reduction capacities implied that the soil and aquifer materials controlled the dispersion of Cr(VI) contamination in this area. However, some possibilities of dispersion by the preferential flow cannot be excluded due to the limited numbers of monitoring wells. We suggest the removal of Cr(VI) contaminated groundwater by periodical pumping, and the continuous groundwater quality monitoring for evaluation of the Cr(VI) dispersion should be followed in the study area.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 1997

At the tailings dam of the disused Brukunga pyrite mine in South Australia, reaction of groundwater with the tailings causes the formation and discharge of sulphuric acid. There is a need to improve remediation efforts by decreasing groundwater flow through the tailings dam. Geophysical methods have been investigated to determine whether they can be used to characterise variations in depth to watertable and map preferred groundwater flow paths. Three methods were used: transient electromagnetic (TEM) soundings, direct current (DC) soundings and profiling, and self potential (SP) profiling. The profiling methods were used to map the areal extent of a given response, while soundings was used to determine the variation in response with depth. The results of the geophysical surveys show that the voltages measured with SP profiling are small and it is hard to determine any preferred channels of groundwater flow from SP data alone. Results obtained from TEM and DC soundings, show that the DC method is useful for determining layer boundaries at shallow depths (less than about 10 m), while the TEM method can resolve deeper structures. Joint use of TEM and DC data gives a more complete and accurate geoelectric section. The TEM and DC measurements have enabled accurate determination of depth to groundwater. For soundings centred at piezometers, this depth is consistent with the measured watertable level in the corresponding piezometer. A map of the watertable level produced from all the TEM and DC soundings at the site shows that the shallowest level is at a depth of about 1 m, and occurs at the southeast of the site, while the deepest watertable level (about 17 m) occurs at the northwest part of the site. The results indicate that a possible source of groundwater occurs at the southeast area of the dam, and the aquifer thickness varies between 6 and 13 m. A map of the variation of resistivity of the aquifer has also been produced from the TEM and DC data. This map shows that the least resistive (i.e., most conductive) section of the aquifer occurs in the northeast of the site, while the most resistive part of the aquifer occurs in the southeast. These results are interpreted to indicate a source of fresh (resistive) groundwater in the southeast of the site, with a possible further source of conductive groundwater in the northeast.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.617-634
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship of between earthquakes and fluctuation of water level in a groundwater well of the active-fault zone and 124 national groundwater monitoring wells in Gyeongju area. The spatial and temporal relationships between the fluctuation of water level and the earthquake were analyzed by the calculation of earthquake effectiveness (ε) and q-factor which are the function of earthquake magnitude and distance from epicenter. Two earthquake events of E1 (April 22, 2019, M 3.8) and E2 (June 11, 2019, M 2.5) show a close relationship with a post-seismic 83 cm decrease and a pre-seismic 76 cm increase in water level at the active fault zone of Dangu-ri, respectively. The spatial analysis of water level fluctuation data in National Groundwater Monitoring Networks caused by earthquake events shows a more distinct response in deep groundwater around fault zones than other area, and a greater change in deep groundwater than shallow groundwater. It's inferred that the decrease and increase in groundwater level are affected by the expansion of fractures and compression of rock mass due to seismic stress, respectively. The effective ranges of ε-value and q-factor of the monitoring well in Dangu-ri were calculated as 2.70E-10~5.60E-10 and 14.4~18.0, respectively.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2008

Periodic fluctuation of water levels were analyzed for their causes and effects on groundwater movement. Groundwater levels were monitored from two shallow monitoring wells, G1 and G4, located at a headwater catchment in the Gwangneung Ecohydrological Research Site using pressure transducers with automatic data-loggers by five-minute interval from February to October, 2006. The water table fluctuates on a daily basis with a clear diurnal variation, and the fluctuation amplitude increases with time from the winter to the summer. Results from spectral analysis of water-level data show periodic variations in 24.38 hour and in 12.19 hour, indicating $P_1$ diurnal and $L_2$ semidiurnal tidal components, respectively. The diurnal component of the water level in summer has greater power than that in winter, implying that the water table is affected not only by earth tides, but also by evapotranspiration. Right after rain stops, the power of diurnal component of the water level decreases, indicating that evapotranspiration influences significantly diurnal periodicity. The effects of diurnal and semidiurnal components of the water level range from 0.4 to 4.2 cm and from 0.2 to 0.7 cm, respectively.