• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.37-45
• /
• 2001

The characteristics of drinking groundwater quality was analyzed by investigating observed data during 1995-1997 in Daejeon city. As the analysis of observed data, the 30.1% of them were over the drinking water quality standards in Daejeon city and the unfit ratios of each region were 36.4% at Dong-Gu, 32.3% Daedeog-Gu, 31.2% Jung-Gu, 30.0% Seo-Gu and 25.2% at Yusoung-Gu. It was found that the items over the drinking water quality standards were 24 items and all of the mean concentration of water quality items were under the drinking water quality standard except Fe and Mn in 1997. The mean concentration of Fe was $1.31mg/{\ell}$ over the water quality at Daedeog-Gu and that of Mn was $0.53mg/{\ell}$ at Jung-Gu. The concentrations of $NH_3$-N, Mn, Fe, Al and F were increased rapidly in 1997, so that the cause of increasing also must be examined closely. It was found that the rainfall and unfit ratio(unfit frequency/test frequency) of E-coli and bacteria had the hydrologic persistance. The coefficient of correlation between them was 0.525. On the rainfall over 100mm, it was 0.673 and on the rainfall over 150mm, it was 0.641. The correlation between E-coli and rainfall was higher than that between bacteria and rainfall.

• The Journal of Natural Sciences
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.87-92
• /
• 1995

In the Vicinity of the Sindae-dong waste disposal site in Taejon, the average Cu, pb and Zn concentrations in soils are higher than those in other Korean soils but these are not high enough to cause any harmful effect to human and animal through the crop plants. Copper, Pb and Zn are not detected in the groundwater samples and F, Cl, $NO_2$, $NO_3$ and $SO_4$ concentrations in groundwater samples are lower than drinking water standards. However, the pH of groundwater sample in site D is 5.58 which is not suitable for the drinking water. With the electric resistivity method, the water-containg layers are found in contaminated soils and the resistivity values are considerably low because of the dispersion of plume by the leak of leachates. According to the results from the magnetic survey method, the anomalous values of the total geomagnetic fields and their gradients are found in the sampling site of low resistivity and high trace element concentrations.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.171-186
• /
• 2013

A drilling project was undertaken to characterize the geochemical relationship and the occurrence of radioactive materials at a test site among public-use groundwaters previously known to have high occurrence of uranium and radon-222 in the Daejeon area. A borehole (121 m deep) was drilled and core rocks mainly consist of two-mica granite, and associated with pegmatite and dykes of intermediate composition. The groundwater samples collected at six different depths in the borehole by a double-packed system showed the pH values ranging from neutral to alkaline (7.10-9.3), and electrical conductivity ranging from 263 to 443 ${\mu}S/cm$. The chemical composition of the borehole groundwaters was of the $Ca-HCO_3(SO_4+Cl)$ type. The uranium and Rn-222 contents in the groundwater were 109-1,020 ppb and 9,190-32,800 pCi/L, respectively. These levels exceed the regulation guidelines of US EPA. The zone of the highest groundwater uranium content occurred at depths of 45 to 55m. The groundwater chemistry in this zone (alkaline, oxidated, and high in bicarbonate) is favorable for the dissolution of uranium into groundwater. The dominant uranium complex in groundwater is likely to be $(UO_2CO_3)^0$ or $(UO_2HCO_3)^+$. Radon-222 content in groundwater shows an increasing trend with depth. The uranium and thorium contents in the core were 0.372-47.42 ppm and 0.388-11.22 ppm, respectively. These levels are higher values than those previously been reported in Korea. Microscopic observations and electron microprobe analysis(EPMA) revealed that the minerals containing U and Th are monazite, apatite, epidote, and feldspar. U and Th in these minerals are likely to substitute for major elements in crystal lattice.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.395-406
• /
• 2002

The sixty natural springs and community wells used as a drinking water in the Daejeon area are mainly located at the parks and the natural green districts. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of water quality and the contamination of the springs and the wells, and to suggest the management strategy for the springs and wells. For this study, we undertook water quality data from Daejeon City. According to the statistic analysis of water quality data, unacceptable rate as a drinking water was about 28 percent in 1999 and 24.5 percent in 2000, respectively. Major unacceptable factor is coliform, and others are bacteria, yersinia, color, turbidity, Fe and F. The unacceptable rate shows a roughly positive relationship with precipitation, that is, it shows highest rate during a rainy season between June and September. The major contamination source is likely to be the excrement of wild animals around natural springs and wells. Most of springs are vulnerable to the contamination of coliform and bacteria because of short residence time and shallow circulation in subsurface environment. The water samples collected from 31 springs or wells show weak acidic pHs, the electrical conductivity ranging from 63 to 357 $\mu\textrm{S}$/cm, and the hydrochemical types of Na(Ca)-HC0$_3$ and Ca-HC0$_3$. The groundwater samples of low total dissolved solid(TDS) belong to Na(Ca)-HC0$_3$. type, and the groundwater of high total dissolved solid is shifted towards Ca-HC0$_3$ type in the chemical composition. These hydrochemical characteristics indicate that most natural springs is in the early stage of geochemical evolution. The natural springs should be closed during a rainy season, which shows a high contamination rate. We suggest that a protection barrier around the springs should be built to keep wild animals away from the springs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
• /
• 2004.09a
• /
• pp.115-118
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this research is to investigate the noble gas isotope and the hydrochemical characteristics of hot springs in the Chungcheong area in Korea. This study was carried. out by the financial support of Korea-Japan joint research program of KOSEF, Noble gases are very useful tracers to investigate volatile elements circulation, because of their unique isotopic compositions in various reservoirs of the Earth. Isotopic ratios of noble gases has been carried out for If hot-spring samples from Daejon and its near areas in Korea last January 2004. Helium isotope ratio gave the evidence that helium gas of different origins(air-crust mixing origin, crust-origin and mantle-origin) is supplied into hot-spring waters in Korea. We found the distinct relationship between temperature of hot springs and helium gas origin.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.589-595
• /
• 1996

The concentration of radioactive elements was measured from the groundwater samples of Taejeon Area. U and Rn concentrations of very high level were detected from many places, especially around Yusung. These levels are much higher than the concentration standards for the drinking water proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. However, in Korea, there are no standard levels for the radioactive elements in drinking water yet. We think that it is necessary to provide such standards as soon as possible, and that the determination of radioactive elements in groundwater should be included in the routine analysis items for the drinking water quality, because many people currently use such relatively high level radioactive groundwater as their drinking water, especially around Yusung area.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.39-46
• /
• 2024

Artificial recharge systems have been employed to solve drought problems due to global climate change. Despite the increased usage, the applications of artificial recharge systems are limited by clogging problems, which reduce recharge rates. In this study, the soil texture and mineral characteristics of alluvial soil in a planned artificial recharge system area were investigated to evaluate the possibility of chemical clogging during the injection of stream water. The primary minerals contained in the clastic particles are quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, and biotite, and the secondary minerals filling the pore space are illite, kaolinite and Fe-oxide. The fact that carbonate and sulfate are observed as secondary minerals in the pore space suggests that chemical clogging has not occurred by the interaction between the groundwater and surface water in the study area. Thus, monitoring soil properties, e.g., the formation and growth of secondary minerals in the pore space, is required to investigate the possibility of chemical clogging in artificial recharge systems.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.30-39
• /
• 2008

The uranium removal efficiency of rhizofiltration was investigated in lab scale experiment. Three plants such as sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris var.), and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.) were cultivated in artificially contaminated solution by uranium at 30 ${\mu}g$/L and 80 ${\mu}g$/L for 72 hours. The removal efficiencies of three cultivars were calculated from the ICP/MS analysis of uranium mass in solution and the plant. For Helianthus annuus L., more than 80% of initial uranium were removed from the solution and the uranium concentration of residual solution maintained lower than 10 ${\mu}g$/L. For Phaseolus vulgaris var. and Brassica juncea (L.) Czern., their uranium removal efficiencies ranged from 60 to 80%. Even the uranium concentration of solution was higher than 500 ${\mu}g$/L, these cultivars removed more than 70% of initial uranium by rhizofiltration, suggesting that the rhizofiltration has a great capability to remove uranium in the contaminated groundwater. The removal efficiency of rhizofiltration by using Brassica juncea (L.) Czern decreased from 83% to 42% with the increase of pH in solution. From the results of the analysis for the uranium accumulation in plants, 99% of uranium transferred into the plant from solution were accumulated in the root and only 1% of uranium existed in the shoot part (including leaves), suggesting that the cost and the time to treat massive grown plants after the rhizofiltration could be dramatically cut down because only their root parts needs to be treated. Finally, the genuine groundwater having high uranium concentration (81.4 ${\mu}g$/L), sampled from Daejoun area, was used in the experiment. The uranium removal efficiency of Helianthus annuus L. for the real groundwater was higher than 95%, investigating that the rhizofiltration is the very useful method to remediate uranium contaminated groundwater.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.41 no.6
• /
• pp.645-655
• /
• 2008

The Cr(VI) concentrations at the shallow aquifer well (MPH-0-1) of the Moonpyung groundwater monitoring station were in the range of 0.5 to 3.1 mg/L exceeding 10 to 62 times the guideline for drinking-water quality, indicating continuous contamination. However, Cr was not detected at the deep bedrock well and the other subsidiary monitoring wells except for MPH-1 and 6. Cross-correlation analyses were conducted for rainfall and groundwater level time series, resulting in the mean time of recharge after precipitation events to be 5.6 days. For rainy season, the water level was raised and the Cr(VI) concentration was several times lower than that during dry season at well MPH-0-1 well. Correlation of the Cr(VI) concentration with the groundwater-level showed that the Cr(VI) reduction was closely related with the groundwater-level rise in the well. However, the groundwater level rise during high water season induced the lateral migration of the Cr(VI)-contaminated groundwater at well MPH-4. We enriched and isolated a chromium reducing bacteria, Enterobacter aerogenes, from the Cr(VI)-contaminated groundwater in the wells MPH-0-1 and MPH-1. The bacteria may play an important role for immobilizing Cr(VI) in the Cr(VI)-contaminated groundwater. Therefore, the migration of the contaminant (Cr(VI) must has been restricted because of the natural attenuation by microbial reduction of Cr(VI) in the groundwater. This research suggests that the bioremediation of the Cr(VI)-contaminated groundwater by the indigenous bacteria may be feasible in the Cr(VI) contaminated groundwater.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.146-151
• /
• 2012

An analytical method was developed for the measurement of uranium isotope in ground water using the liquid scintillation counting technique. A LKB Wallac Quantulus 1220 liquid scintillation counter (LSC) equipped with pulse shape analyzer (PSA) and a solvent extraction method were used for the measurement of uranium isotope in ground water samples. The effect of solution volume on the extraction efficiency was evaluated for 100 to 1000 mL solutions using a NIST standard reference material (NIST SRM 4321C). The effect of groundwater pH on the extraction efficiency was also investigated for pH ranging from 0.5 to 10. It was found that the extraction efficiency had a strong dependence on pH showing a maximum at pH 2. In contrast, the effect of groundwater volume on the extraction efficiency was negligible in the range investigated. According to the method, the extraction efficiency of uranium isotopes was near 96% and the lower detection limit for uranium was 0.018 Bq/L with the counting time of 300 min. The result of this study was also verified by the conventional ICP-MS measurement. It is demonstrated that the suggested method is valuable to the determination of the optimum extraction and measurement conditions for uranium in ground water. The method was successfully applied to the ground water at four locations near the Daejeon province. It was found that the uranium content and the isotopic ratio of $^{234}U/^{238}U$ at the locations ranged 0.59~6.69 Bq/L and 0.72~1.40, respectively.