• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1-8
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• 2023

In order to efficiently manage groundwater resources, it is necessary to establish clear definition about the rights to use groundwater because it directly governs the interests of various stakeholders, from users to policy makers. In this paper, we examined the characteristics of Korea's rights to use groundwater through legal precedents, public recognition, laws, and institutional stipulaton. Inclarity about the scope and definition of the right, and the absence of legal basis ruling the exclusion and duration of groundwater use have entailed numerous cases of legal disputes between the parties with incompetible interests. In the perception survey, various responses were obtained from the surveyee regarding the scope of rights perceived by groundwater users, how to respond to groundwater shortages, and opinions about expanding public uses of groundwater. In Korea, the legal authority to use groundwater is governed by different laws while considering groundwater as both private and public property. In foreign countires, the right to use water is separated from property ownership, and it limits the volume and pumping rate of groundwater during a specified period. In order to better manage groundwater resources, it is necessary to come up with a public consensus on the right to use groundwater by considering the opinions of various stakeholders and accomodating them in adminstrative effort in directing groundwater management.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.112-127
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• 2017

Groundwater accounts for more than 10% of the total water supply in Korea. However, the contribution of groundwater to public water supply systems has been poorly played role throughout the country except for Jeju Island. Compared with the groundwater uses in foreign countries, the pattern of groundwater use in Korea seems to be very deformed and unreasonable. Currently, the development and use of groundwater in Korea are mostly carried out by the individuals, and public sectors such as central and local governments are not actively involved in such activities. Private groundwater use and management will continue to cause groundwater depletion and pollution problems. It is necessary to actively enhance the role of public authorities in groundwater managements by engaging precise hydrogeological surveys and proper economic evaluation in the development and operation of groundwater sources. Also, in order to solve the problems that public water supply systems overly rely on the surface water sources, it is necessary to take policies that require the water supply companies to secure a variety of water sources.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.13-22
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• 2017

Accurate assessment of agricultural groundwater usage is an essential task to cope with drought that occurs irregularly in time and location. In this study, the agricultural groundwater usage was calculated in nationwide public wells (1,386 bedrock wells) during 5-year period (2010-2014) by using electric power consumption and well specification data. National average of agricultural groundwater usage per each well was estimated as $66.2m^3/day$, corresponding to 21.6% of total permitted volume of groundwater in each well. Chungcheong Nam-do had the highest usage with 38-55.6%. The value increased to 58.1% when the total permitted volume was based upon the supply standard against drought, and the value reached 100% in Chungcheong Nam-do. In Ganghwa distirct that suffered from severe drought in recent years, the average groundwater usage was 61.4%. In 2014, when the drought was the most severe with 45% precipitation of the average annual rainfall, the nationwide usage was turned out to be 25.6%, indicating about 4% higher than average agricultural groundwater usage 21.6%. Therefore, the quantitative assessment of groundwater usage in this study signifies that adequate use of groundwater is crucial to cope with agricultural drought.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.259-262
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• 2003

In the Republic of Korea, Ministry of Construction & Transportation and Korea Water Resources Corporation manage the national groundwater monitoring network at the 169 stations and will organize the supplementary groundwater monitoring network at the 10,000 stations by 2011 year. The method that organizes the monitoring network was developed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process with pairwise comparison. Several estimation factors for the estimating every district were selected to reflect each district conditions. Their weighting value was decided by pairwise comparison and questions to the experts about groundwater The optimal number of groundwater monitoring well was calculated through the developed method. To verify this method, groundwater was monitored in Jeonju city by way showing the example. The study area In Jeonju city needs 7 stations for the supplementary groundwater monitoring network. The results monitored in 7 stations inferred the groundwater level around the study area by Kriging. The mean of residual between inferred groundwater level value from Kriging and actual groundwater level is rather low. Furthermore, the mean and standard deviation of residual between inferred groundwater level change and actual groundwater change is much lower. The Fact that 7 monitoring stations are sufficient for observing the groundwater condition in the study area makes it possible for suggested monitoring number to be proper.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.95-105
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• 2021

Extensive groundwater abstraction has been recognized as one of the major challenges in management of coastal groundwater. The purpose of this study was to assess potential changes of groundwater distribution of northeastern Jeju Island over 10-year duration, where brackish water have been actively developed. To quantitatively estimate the coastal groundwater resources, numerical simulations using three-dimensional finite-difference density-dependent flow models were performed to describe spatial distribution of the groundwater in the aquifer under various pumping and recharge scenarios. The simulation results showed different spatial distribution of freshwater, brackish, and saline groundwater at varying seawater concentration from 10 to 90%. Volumetric analysis was also performed using three-dimensional concentration distribution of groundwater to calculate the volume of fresh, brackish, and saline groundwater below sea level. Based on the volumetric analysis, a quantitative analysis of future seawater intrusion vulnerability was performed using the volume-based vulnerability index adopted from the existing analytical approaches. The result showed that decrease in recharge can exacerbate vulnerability of coastal groundwater resources by inducing broader saline area as well as increasing brackish water volume of unconfined aquifers.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.23-37
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• 2019

To evaluate the available groundwater supply to the agricultural water demand in the future with the climate change scenarios for 40 sub-regions in Jeju Island, groundwater recharge and the available groundwater supply were estimated using water balance analysis method. Groundwater recharge was calculated by subtracting the actual evapotranspiration and direct runoff from the total amount of water resources and available groundwater supply was set at 43.6% from the ratio of the sustainable groundwater capacity to the groundwater recharge. According to the RCP 4.5 scenario, the available groundwater supply to the agricultural water demand is estimated to be insufficient in 2020 and 2025, especially in the western and eastern regions of the island. However, such a water shortage problem is alleviated in 2030. When applying the RCP 8.5 scenario, available groundwater supply can't meet the water demand over the entire decade.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.453-454
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• 2004

Hydrogeochemical and isotopic characteristics were investigated for groundwater of Tertiary basin in southeastern part of Korea where deep drilling is in progress for geothermal investigation. According to geology, aquifer was distinguished as alluvial, tertiary sedimentary bedrock (bedrock groundwater), and fractured volcanic rock (deep groundwater). Groundwater of each aquifer is distinctively separated in Eh-pH conditions and concentrations of Cl, F, B and HCO$_3$. Deep groundwater has very low level 3H and 14C whereas alluvial groundwater has those of recent precipitation level. However one of deep groundwater show mixed characteristics in terms of hydrochemistry which indicates effect of pumping. Deep groundwater have temperature of 38 to 43$^{\circ}C$ whereas bedrock and alluvial groundwater have temperature less than 2$0^{\circ}C$. Fractured basement rock aquifer has different hydrogeologicalsetting from bedrock and alluvial aquifer considering hydrogeochemical and isotopic characteristics, and temperature.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2015

Groundwater has been a very precious resource for human life and economic development in the world. With increasing population and food demand, the groundwater use especially for agriculture is largely elevated worldwide. The very much large groundwater use results in depletion of major aquifers, land subsidences in many large cities, anthropogenic groundwater contamination, seawater intrusion in coastal areas and accompanying severe conflicts for water security. Furthermore, with the advent of changing climate, securing freshwater supply including groundwater becomes a pressing and critical issue for sustainable societal development in every country because prediction of precipitation is more difficult, its uneven distribution is aggravating, weather extremes are more frequent, and rising sea level is also threatening the freshwater resource. Under these difficulties, can groundwater be sustaining its role as essential element for human and society in the near future? We have to focus our efforts and wisdom on answering the question. Korean government should increase its investment in securing groundwater resources for changing climate.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.536-539
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• 2003

This study area has been contaminated by oils. To identify contaminated ranges and to assess the possibility of contamination dispersion, monitoring wells were installed and slug test, field soil permeability test, automatic or manual measurement of groundwater table, and groundwater quality analyses in field and laboratory were performed. In addition, a groundwater modeling program was used to assess the possibility of oil contamination dispersion, based on field data and groundwater quality data. The results showed that concentration of oil contaminants in groundwater have been decreased by dispersion and adsorption.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.11-22
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• 2013

SEAWAT, a linked modeling program of Visual MODFLOW was used to analyze the change in groundwater levels and salinity related groundwater dam construction in Cheongsan island, Wando-Gun, Jeollanam-Do. The steady-state model results show the groundwater flow and salinity distribution of the studied area. The groundwater flows from north-west and south-east highlands into the river, located in the middle part of the basin, and is eventually discharged to the ocean. Part of the sea water infiltrates into the river; and through the estuary's alluvium aquifer, the sea water intrusion takes place spreading to about 830 m from the ocean. The transient model results show that after the groundwater dam construction, groundwater levels will rise to a maximum of 2.0 m upstream, and the groundwater storage will increase 21,000 after 10 years. Meanwhile 31% of the total area affected by sea water intrusion will decrease. To conclude, the groundwater dam is a very useful method for a secure water resource in preparation for drought and water shortages in the island regions.