Abstract
In order to investigate water pollution of spring, we carried out the experiments on mineral water, rainwater and surrounding soil of several springs collected in Incheon area from February to August in 2007. The results were as follows. 1. Soil : This study investigated the pH and organic matter contents in the soil which effect on microorganisms. The pH value was from 4.5 to 5.3 on average and organic matter contents ranged from 1.09% to 5.6% and E. coli, K. pneumoniae, S. faecalis and other microorganisms were isolated. 2. Natural mineral water : As the rainfall increased, the concentration of $No_3-N$, consumption of $KMnO_4$ and the number of microorganisms was increased while the other physicochemical items were not affected. The microorganism isolated in the natural mineral water were as follows: E. coli, K. oxytoca S. faecalis, S. facium, and so on from evacuation; E. agglomerans, E. amnigenus, E. cloacae, E. sakazakii and so on from the environments and evacuation. Detection of these microorganisms shows that the environment around the spring had been exposed to excrements of the warm blood animal. 3. Rain : The coliforms in the rain were the identical one detected from the mineral water and the soil. In conclusion the quality of natural mineral water is influenced by rain, resident bacteria of soil and surrounding environment. This study will be the basic data of characteristics of spring in Incheon area and also this result will give useful aids for the efficient control of spring.