Groundwater and River Water in Gyeonggi Province 'Good'... Suitable for Agricultural Use

Both groundwater and river water in Gyeonggi-do have been found to be suitable for use as agricultural water.

The Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services announced on July 15 that the results of its agricultural water quality survey conducted in April confirmed that both groundwater and river water were in 'good' condition within the standard limits.

To ensure the production of safe agricultural products and to create a sustainable agricultural environment, the Agricultural Research and Extension Services conducts water quality surveys three times a year?in April, July, and October?at a total of 52 sites across 13 cities and counties in the province, including 20 groundwater sites and 32 river water sites.

Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services is conducting water quality surveys of groundwater and river water within the province. Photo by Gyeonggi-do

For groundwater, 14 parameters are analyzed, including hydrogen ion concentration (pH) and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N). For river water, 16 parameters are analyzed, including total phosphorus (T-P) and total organic carbon (TOC).

According to the April survey results, groundwater showed an average pH of 6.9 and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) of 6.01mg/L. River water showed an average pH of 7.6, total phosphorus (T-P) of 0.08mg/L, and suspended solids (SS) of 4.13mg/L. All parameters met the water quality standards for agricultural use.

The Agricultural Research and Extension Services plans to use the accumulated water quality data as basic data for establishing a stable agricultural production base and as educational material for farmers.

Park Joongsu, head of the Environmental Agriculture Research Division at the Agricultural Research and Extension Services, said, "As climate change continues, monitoring fluctuations in the quality of agricultural water is more important than ever," adding, "We will continue to regularly monitor water quality to ensure that safe agricultural water is consistently supplied to agricultural production."