• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.18-23
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• 2010

Usability of soil quality monitoring network for ascertaining soil quality changes was evaluated by analysing soil quality monitoring results. Tolerance limits of soil quality monitoring results from 1997 to 2007 were calculated and compared with Korean soil quality standards. This study determined that soil quality was changed if the upper 95% tolerance limit value was greater than the soil quality standard. Fluoride most frequently exceeded the soil quality standard and nickel, zinc, arsenic, copper, lead and cadmium were followed. Analysis on land use showed that tolerance limits of industrial land use most frequently exceeded the soil quality standards and residential, road and various land uses then frequently exceeded. Tolerance limits of land uses expecting high contaminant loads frequently exceeded the soil quality standards. This fact imply that the soil quality monitoring network generates reasonable data to represent change in Korean soil quality. This study also suggested that representative sampling from well identified points should be done to improve data reliability and accurately ascertain soil quality changes.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.18-28
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• 2009

Many countries have recently established legal regulations and soil quality standards for soil protection, This study investigated the role of soil quality standards in soil protection policy and methods of selecting standard substances from various types of chemicals. In most countries, soil quality standards act as guidance for further detail surveyor risk assessment from comparing soil concentration with the soil quality standards. Soil quality standards of Switzerland, Demark and Japan were used as enforcement tools. Priority substances for the standards were first selected from frequently detected chemicals in contaminated sites. Those substances were extensively evaluated for toxic effects, exposure potential and availability in chemical analysis.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.23-32
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• 2013

Korean groundwater quality standards were established in 1994, and revised in 2003 and 2010. The substances for which standards have been developed are classified into two groups, general pollutants, 4, and specific pollutants, 15. The standards have been applied to household water use, agriculture, aquaculture, and industrial use. However, there is no systematic methodology for either selecting candidate substances or establishing groundwater standards. We investigated various derivation methodologies for groundwater standards used by the European Commission and 27 member states and compared their methods for determining threshold values. The European Commission presented to their member states groundwater standards for two substances and a list of required substances for derivation of threshold values along with the member states. Interestingly, they first considered national background levels and then considered other criteria for water protection, such as drinking water standards, environmental quality standards, and irrigation standards. We suggest that Korean background levels in groundwater should be included in the methodology for establishing groundwater quality standards. These results may be useful in developing a systematic methodology for establishing Korean groundwater quality standards.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.24-29
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• 2014

To data, there was no systematic basis for establishing the content and allowed levels of general contamination substances in the Korean groundwater quality standards for non-drinking water. Recently, use of specific procedures for deriving valid groundwater quality standards have become mandatory. This study first investigated the methodology for deriving groundwater quality standards in the European Commission (EC), considering background groundwater quality and domestic and international standards related to water quality. Furthermore, this study investigated the existing specified procedure of standards related to water quality (e.g. surface water, drinking water, and wastewater). Our findings showed that EC and Member States presented the methods for deriving groundwater threshold values for general chemicals. Finally, we have proposed the following procedures of deriving Korean groundwater quality: (1) Selection of groundwater pollutant population, (2) selection and monitoring of priority substances, (3) monitoring, (4) selection of groundwater quality standard candidates, (5) selection of new substances and values for groundwater quality standards.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.91-104
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• 2013

The objectives of this study were to monitor and assess the environmental impacts of indirect wastewater reuse on water quality and soil in paddy fields. Yongin monitoring site (YI) irrigated from agricultural reservoir and Osan monitoring site (OS) irrigated with treated wastewater diluted with stream water were selected as control and treatment, respectively. Monitoring results for irrigation water quality showed a significant statistical difference in salinity, exchangeable cation and nutrients. Pond water quality showed a similar tendency with irrigation water except for the decreased difference in nutrients due to the fertilization impact. Soil chemical properties mainly influenced by fertilization activity such as T-N, T-P, and $P_2O_5$ were changed similarly in soil profiles of both monitoring sites, while the properties, EC, Ca, Mg, and Na, mainly effected by irrigation water quality showed a considerable change with time and soil depth in treatment plots. Heavy metal contents in paddy soil of both control and treatment did not exceed the soil contamination warning standards. This study could contribute to suggest the irrigation water quality standards and proper agricultural practices including fertilization for indirect wastewater reuse, although long-term monitoring is needed to get more scientific results.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.985-992
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• 2007

There are about 40,000 chemicals used in Korea and 300 new types of chemicals are added to the list every year, influencing quality of air, soil and water. Water quality standards that serve as the basis for water quality management have been proved inefficient and insufficient compared to those of advanced countries. This study aims to improve the existing water quality standards. Most importantly, the water quality standards need to take into account not only protection of human health but also aquatic resources. To that end, water quality criteria need to be set by monitoring each watershed every year and conducting risk assessment. Criteria for human health are set at $10^{-6}$ cancer risk level, and for aquatic life at conservative level, adopting the methodology of the U.S. and Australia, respectively. After carrying out technical and economic feasibility studies, more conservative criteria will be used to decide final water quality standards. The development of this system to establish integrated water quality standards for both human health and aquatic resources protection is urgently needed.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.869-883
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• 2019

China is currently facing great challenges in protecting its arable soil from contamination by heavy metals, especially Cd in paddy soil. China enacted the first soil environmental quality standards (SEQS) for ten pollutants in 1995, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the results of the first nationwide soil survey in 2014. The soil survey showed that as much as 16% of China's soil and 19% of the agricultural soils were contaminated mainly with heavy metals and metalloids beyond the environmental quality limits. The exceeded rate of the contaminant limits in food crops was widespread in China, and the most severe regions were East and Southwest China. Heavy metals and metalloids accounted for 82.4% of the contaminants in soils while organic pollutants accounted for 17% of the contaminants in the soil. Among the heavy metals and metalloids exceeding the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) limit, cadmium (Cd) was highest at 7.0%, followed by nickel (4.8%), arsenic (2.7%), cobalt (2.1%), mercury (1.6%) and lead (1.5%). However, all the average concentrations of the pollutants were lower than the recommended values for the contaminants except for Cd for three levels of pH (< 6.5, 6.5 - 7.5, and > 7.5). According to the Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution released by the State Council in 2016, 90% of contaminated farmland will be made safe by 2020 with an increase to 95% by 2030. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the soil quality to meet the environmental quality standard for soils and heavy metal standards for food safety.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.200-204
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• 1998

Physical and chemical properties of artificial soil produced by firing process were analyzed and compared with normal dry field soil and soil quality standards. Material used for production was water and wastewater treatment sludge, chabizite, and lime. The mixed material was thermally treated in the firing kiln at about $300^{\circ}C$ and $1,000^{\circ}C$, respectively, as per designed process. General properties of the artificial soil were classified as sand by unified soil classification method and similar to the dry-field soil, and even soil conditioning effect were expected when it is mixed properly with normal soil. The artificial soil is high in pH and permeability compared to the dry-field soil. Heavy metal concentrations of the artificial soil met the soil quality standards for the farmland. Overall, the artificial soil was thought to be an appropriate soil which can be returned safely to the nature without significant adverse effect. The cost for the artificial soil production process needs to be lowered for practical application as a sludge treatment, therefore, commercializing of the artificial soil is under review.

• 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.