Abstract

Riverbank filtration has been used in advanced countries for 150 years. In Korea, investigations for producing riverbank filtrate started in the Han River, Nakdong River, Geum River, Yeongsan River and Seomjin River basins in the 1990s. The lower part of the Nakdong River has a poorer water quality than the upper part of the river. A water balance analysis and groundwater flow modeling were conducted for the riverbanks of the Nakdong River in Daesan-Myeon, Changwon City. The results of the water balance analysis revealed the groundwater infiltration rate into the aquifer to be 245.26 mm/year (19.68% of the average annual precipitation, 1,251.32 mm). Direct runoff accounts for 153.49 mm/year, evapotranspiration is 723.95 mm/year and baseflow is 127.63 mm/year. According to the groundwater flow modeling, 65% of the total inflow to the pumping wells originates from the Nakdong River, 13% originates from the aquifer in the rectilinear direction, and 22% originates from the aquifer in the parallel direction. The particle tracking model shows that a particle moving from the river toward the pumping wells travels 100 m in 50 days and a particle from the aquifer toward the pumping wells travels 100 m in 100 days.

Keywords water balance, groundwater modeling, riverbank filtration, Nakdong River, Deasan-Myeon