The inflow of treated wastewater and Nakdong River drift water affects the water
quality of the Sincheon Stream. This study examined the impact of these inflows on
water quality and epilithic diatom communities at five selected sites within the
stream...
The inflow of treated wastewater and Nakdong River drift water affects the water
quality of the Sincheon Stream. This study examined the impact of these inflows on
water quality and epilithic diatom communities at five selected sites within the
stream. Biological indices such as DAIpo (Watanabe et al., 2005) and TDI (NIER, 2017)
were employed to evaluate water quality.
The results indicated that the inflow of treated wastewater decreased the hydrogen
ion concentration (pH) while increasing Electrical Conductivity (EC) and nutrient
levels (NO3¯). In contrast, the impact of Nakdong River drift water was minimal.
During the survey period, a total of 98 diatom species were identified in the
Sincheon Stream, with the genus Navicula being the most abundant.
In the DAIpo assessment, the inflow of Nakdong River drift water increased the
values, while the effect of treated wastewater was negligible. For TDI, Nakdong River
drift water caused a slight increase in values, but the impact was still minimal;
however, treated wastewater resulted in a decrease in TDI values.
This suggests that the nutrients present in the treated wastewater have negatively
affected water quality.
A comparison of DAIpo and TDI values from 2007 and 2014 indicated an improvement in
water quality over time. This study was conducted within one year of the release of
Nakdong River drift water, and additional research is needed to understand the
long-term impacts of these inflows.