• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.3 s.117
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• pp.285-295
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• 2006

Korean water quality standards for the protection of agricultural water uses were originally derived based on management of public water resource. They were not prepared to protect crop plants from contaminants, and therefore required water parameters in agricultural uses were excluded in current water quality standards. Korean water standards in river and lake have five levels, and level IV is correspondent to agricultural water uses. Currently, there is no Korean guidelines to protect crop plants from contaminants contained in agricultural water. In Canada, agricultural water guidelines are provided to protect crops from contaminants. In this study, agricultural water quality standards in Korea were compared with them in developed countries to evaluate the adequacy of Korean water quality standards for the protection of agricultural water uses. Additional water quality parameters in agricultural uses were also proposed. Suggested parameters include electric conductivity, sodium, chloride, boron, copper, iron, zinc, and microbiological quality, They are the required parameters to protect crop plants as well as human health. Current water quality standards in agricultural uses was not considered to be appropriate in terms of crop protection. Additional water parameters should be included in agricultural water quality standards.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1071-1083
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• 2019

In this study, water quality levels were classified and water quality indices were calculated and analysed by using the water quality components of living environmental standards monitored 10 years (2008 ~ 2017) at four stations in the West Nakdong River. As a result of analyzing the monthly variation of the water quality components of the living environmental standards, the water quality in the West Nakdong River was worse downstream than upstream, and pollution at the WNR3 located in the downstream of the Jomangang was the most serious. As a result of classification of water quality levels, BOD and COD levels were the lowest, so water quality pollution in the West Nakdong River was found to be highly influenced by organic matters. The water quality index was the lowest in July and August at four stations, so water quality is showing the worst in summer. As a result of analyzing the correlation between the water quality components and the water quality index, the correlation between the TOC and the water quality index was high in the four stations, and the water quality index in the West Nakdong River was dominated by organic matters and nutrients.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.331-343
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• 2017

The important changes in water environment management in Korea can be summarized as the enactment of Act on the Integrated Control of Pollutant-Discharging Facilities. Therefore water quality impact assessment should be reexamined and be revised. This study examines the present water quality impact assessment items (permissible discharge limits, standards for effluent water quality including Total Pollutant Load Management System) and considers the land use regulation for water quality conservation and NVZs(Nitrate Vulnerable Zones of EU and England). It also considers lately adopted standards(maximum discharge standards, permissible discharge standards, and marginal discharge standards etc) based on Act on the Integrated Control of Pollutant-Discharging Facilities and then compares Korean BAT and its counterpart control technology of U.S.A. And it also compares the items of water quality impact assessment with those of Integrated Control of Pollutant-Discharging Facilities, based on EIS reporting items. This study suggests five improvement measures for water quality impact assessment. First reflection of discharge impact analysis on impact prediction and assessment, second reflection of permissible discharge standards on agreed standards in the EIA procedure, third, reflection of diversified BAT on mitigation measures in the EIA procedure, forth introduction of land use regulation such as NVZs, finally strengthening linkage between water quality items and land use items etc.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.203-217
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• 2013

This study looked at how to establish effluent limitation standards for formaldehyde, a toxic chemical widely used in industries. To this end, we reviewed Water Quality Based Effluent Limitation (WQBEL), Technology Based Effluent Limitation (TBEL), and water quality criteria for protection of human health and aquatic organism. Based on the results, we estimated formaldehyde effluent limitation standards appropriate to control water quality of industrial wastewater in Korea. However, this study has limits due to the lack of some data necessary in estimating formaldehyde effluent limitation. For example, although water quality criteria based on non-carcinogenic properties of formaldehyde were calculated, those based on carcinogenic properties were not be able to estimate because of the absence of applicable cancer potency factor q1. Without applicable factor, we calculated water quality standards for formaldehyde based on water quality criteria of advanced countries including the United States, while with no water quality standard we referred to applicable drinking water quality standards of other countries. For eco-toxicity based on water quality criteria, proper figures could not be calculated since there have been few reliable data.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.301-306
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• 2004

The present water quality standards for agricultural were established without considering the effects of water quality on the safety, growth, yield and quality of crops. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of irrigation water quality on the growth, yield, and grain quality of rice, and to acquire basic knowledges to set up water quality standards for irrigation. The field and pot experiments were conducted with irrigation water that was previously adjusted four concentrations (control, 5, 10, 20 mg/L) and six concentrations (control, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 mg/L) by $NH_4NO_3$ solution and replicated three and four times with randomized block design, respectively. The results of this study showed that the inorganic nutrient of rice plant, rice protein contents and number of panicle tended to increase as the T-N concentration in irrigation water was increased. In addition, grain yield at T-N 10 mg/L and 20mg/L were significantly higher than the control at the field experiment. From the pot experiment at T-N 30 mg/L, the percentage of head rice was slightly lower due to the increase of green kernel and white belly/core kernel.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.57-82
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• 2005

In this study, we propose methods for. the efficient management and integrity of groundwater in response to a diminishing supply. As an alternative water resource for the future. we investigated and comparatively analyzed the quality standards of groundwater in the US (New York, Wisconsin and Texas), Austria, Netherlands, Canada, Japan and United Kingdom. These developed countries heavily depend on groundwater, more than 70%, for drinking water and apply those drinking water standards to groundwater quality. However, there exists few differences in the quality standards of groundwater among the countries, because each country possesses its own individual environment and management. In Korea, surface water pollution is getting serious and its water resources are diminishing. Therefore we propose several new quality criteria that many countries regulate at these days for their efficient management of groundwater. There is a need to divide BTEX criterion into Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene, individually. In. addition, it is needed to establish BTEX criteria into agricultural water and industrial water use standards as well as daily life use standards. Also, regulations for some PAHs, showing carcinogenicity, are required. Due to rapid industrialization various hazardous chemicals were utilized and their uses are increasing each year. Therefore, there is a strong need to introduce n~w standards and tighter regulations of the levels. At the same time, the criterion of nitrogenous compounds need' to be regulated individually in order to prevent the damage incurred by the compounds. Several developed countries have established standards for radon, previously caused environmental accidents in Korea. Therefore, we propose the necessity of groundwater quality standards for radon in this study.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.83-94
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• 1992

Recently water demand is increasing as the industry prospers. The increase of water demand is followed by the increase of wastewater discharge which pollutes rivers and ground water extensively. These rivers, reservoirs and ground water are sources for drinking water and their contamination affects the quality of water supply and other potable water. In Korea there are 776 water treatment plants which supply drinking water from main rivers or reservoirs. Rivers are the biggest water source for drinking water is being contaminated, the innovation of treatment process is needed. The construction and operation of water supply facilities is under the control of the Ministry of Construction and the water supply offices of cities and provinces. However, drinking water quality is under the control of the bureau of sanitation in the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. There are 33 items in drinking water quality standards of Korea. Trihalomethanes, Selenium, Diazinone and other three of pesticides have been included lately, The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs is planning to enhance. the level of $VOC_S$(Vola-tile Organic Compounds) standard. Drinking water quality standard is the goal to protect the quality of supply water and ground water. In order to protect the source water from domestic or industrial water, technological improvement and adequate investment should be urgently made. The ultimate goal of drinking water quality is safety and health of consumers. The more stringent the standard are, the better the water quality will be. As the drinking water quality standards become more stringent this year, various and positive solutions by the authorities concerned must be prepared.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.44-54
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• 1999

Agricultural water quality standards were reviewed through rice culture using treated sewage irrigation . The seqage from school building of Konkuk University was treated by a constructed wetland system, and theeffluent of the systeml was irrigated for rice culutre after nutrient concentration adjusted by dilution. Average concentration of COD, SS, T-N and T-P in irrigated water was 22.3mg/$\ell$, 6.5mg/$\ell$, 25.8 mg/$\ell$and 2.2mg/$\ell$, respectively. Treatment include irrigation of adjusted effluent with conventional fertilization (TWCF), adjusted effluent with no fertilization (TWNF). and effluent of the wetland system as it was with no fertilization (SWNF). These treatment plots were compared with control plot irrigated by tap water with conventional fertilization (CONTROL). Other environmentals for rice culture were identical for all the plots. Among them, TWCF showed the best growth rate and the highest yield, and constituents in the harvested rice showed not much difference among them. Which implies that irrigation with relatively high nutrient concentration compared to the current water quality standards may cause no adverse effect on rice culture and could be even beneficial . Although T-N for this study was 25 times greater than the current standards, rice culture wasnot adversely affected by irrigatino water quality and even beeter results were observed than the CONTROL. It could be mistakenly that clean irrigation water produces better agricultural product, however, it is not necessarily true. Irrigation water with moderate nutrient concentration can enhance the plant growth, and better result might be expected. Therefore, peer review and modification if necessary are needed to the current agricultural water quality standards, especially for the nutrient components.

• 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 Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2015

The characteristics of drinking groundwater at west Gyeong-nam were analyzed by investigating 3,698 cases which were carried out from January 2008 to september 2013. 24.5% of the observed data exceeded the drinking water quality standards. Among the drinking water quality standards, 40 parameters were found to exceed. and most problematic were total coliform and HPC(Heterotrophic Plate Count). The unfit ratio of each region for drinking water were 23.1% at Geoje, 18.7% at Geochang, 28.5% at Goseong, 24.1% at Namhae, 32.8% at Sacheon, 20.5% at Sancheong, 36.9% at Uiryeong, 29.2% at Jinju, 40.9% at Tongyeong, 24.7% at Hadong, 20.6.% at Hamyang, 20.1% at Hapcheon. The result of correlation showed that rainfall and unfit ratio of HPC may be associated with the hydrologic durability and season. The coefficient of correlation between them was 0.304. During the summer, the coefficient of correlation was 0.699. But the significant correlation between total coliform and rainfall was not found.