Spatial investigation of water quality and estimation of groundwater pollution along the main stream in the Geum River Basin, Korea

Abstract

This study aims to identify spatially water quality distribution of groundwater and surface water in reservoirs, and comprehensively to address possible influencing factors. The concentration of NO3 in the reservoirs along the main stream of the Geum River was generally lower than that in groundwater. The pollution level of the reservoir, especially the particulate pollutant SS, clearly showed seasonal variations and increased significantly downstream. The H-3 concentration of the groundwater was high in the plains and low in the mountain areas, indicating a difference in residence time between the two regions. The hydrochemical properties and factor loading values of the principal components indicated that the major factors were water‒rock interactions and residence time, but a positive correlation of K-NO3 and Mg-Cl showed the influence of agricultural activities.