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ISSN 0974-5904, Volume 07, No. 02


April 2014, P.P. 456-466



#02070214 Copyright 2014 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY. All rights reserved.
A preliminary investigation of hydrogeochemistry, metals and
saturation indices of minerals in Nakdong surface water and
adjacent deltaic groundwater using WATEQ4F geochemical model
S. VENKATRAMANAN
1
, S. Y. CHUNG
1*
, N. PARK
2
, T. RAMKUMAR
3
AND
G .GNANACHANDRASAMY
3

1
Institute of Environmental Geosciences, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Pukyong National
University, 599-1 Daeyeon-dong Nam-gu, Busan 608-737, Korea
2
Department of Civil Engineering, Dong-A University, 840 Hadan-dong Saha-gu, Busan 604-717, Korea
3
Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar-608 502, Tamilnadu, India
Email: chungsy@pknu.ac.kr, venkatramanansenapathi@gmail.com


Abstract: A preliminary investigation of hydrogeochemistry, metals and mineral saturation indices were carried out
in Nakdong surface water and adjacent deltaic groundwater in Busan, Korea in order to assess their suitability in
relation to domestic and agricultural uses. Further, this study was conducted to bring out the relationship and the
behavior of different Saturation Indices (SI) of carbonate, sulphate and oxide minerals. One surface water and two
groundwater samples were collected, and hydrogeochemical nature was investigated by analyzing the major cations
(Ca, Mg, Na, K) and anions (Cl, HCO
3
, SO
4
, NO
3,
F) with some metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Sr). Piper diagram showed
that water samples fell in the field of mixed Ca-HCO
3
type followed by Na-Cl water types. Hydrogeochemical
processes controlling water chemistry were waterrock interaction rather than evaporation or precipitation. In
Wilcox diagram, water samples fell in low to very high sodium and salinity hazards indicating the suitability for
agricultural purpose. Geochemical model, WATEQ4F was used to calculate the Saturation index (SI) of minerals.
The SIs of carbonate, sulphate and oxide minerals represented undersaturated and equilibria state. Interpretation of
geochemical data suggested that weathering, ion exchange reactions, and SI were the dominant factors that
determined the major ionic compositions of groundwater in the study area.

Keywords: Hydrogeochemistry, Saturation index, Piper diagram, Gibbs diagram, Wilcox classification, Nakdong
River, Korea.


1. Introduction:

Water is an essential and vital component for our life-
support system. By the way, the contamination of
surface water and groundwater in the world is
continuously increasing mainly by anthropogenic
origins. The purpose of this research is to investigate the
spatial changes of water quality in river and deltaic
regions. Rivers included in previous studies are the
Seine River in France [27], the Thames River in the UK
[16], the Struma River in Bulgaria [2], the Aliakmon
River in northern Greece [39], the water bodies of
Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada [12], the Lake
Tahoe basin in the USA, the Han River in Korea [6], the
Amu Darya River in Central Asia [9], the Bagmati
River in Nepal [23]. Palar River Basin India [11],
Mamundiyar River Basin Tamil Nadu, India [10],
Thirumanimuttar River basin, Tamilnadu, India [44],
and Gadilam River basin, Tamilnadu, India [34].

The drastic increases in population, modern land use
applications (agricultural and industrial), and demands
for water supply have globally accelerated the
development of groundwater resources in terms of both
its quality and quantity. Even though urban aquifers are
important to the supply of drinking water, they are often
perceived to be irrelevant to drinking water supply, and
leading toward crisis in terms of drinking water scarcity.
The contamination of the aquifers has continuously
increased, and portability of groundwater has decreased
[13]. The quality of water is of vital concern for
mankind, since it is directly linked with human welfare.
Poor quality of water adversely affects the plant growth
and human health [20, 21, 24, 41, 42, 43, 47, and 48].
Groundwater quality data give important clues to the
geologic history of rocks and indications of ground-
water recharge, movement and storage [46]. The
knowledge of hydrochemistry is essential to determine
the origin of chemical composition of groundwater [50].

Calculation of mineral saturation index (SI) and
thermodynamic equilibrium studies were initiated by
[14] to understand the possible reactant and product
457
S. VENKATRAMANAN, S. Y. CHUNG, N. PARK, T. RAMKUMAR AND
G .GNANACHANDRASAMY
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 07, No. 02, April, 2014, pp. 456-466
minerals, and the equilibrium state of groundwater and
the surrounding materials. A systematic use of
computers for studying the hydrogeochemical systems
was initiated by [17-19]. Recently, a considerable
number of algorithms and programs for calculating
chemical equilibrium by using computer have been
developed. They introduce two ways in simulating
physico-chemical water rock interactions: (a)
computation by the equilibrium constants of chemical
reactions, and (b) calculation by the method of free
energy minimization. Many researchers have used the
saturation indices of silicate, carbonate and fluoride
minerals as an indicator to understand the weathering
processes from aquifer matrix [7, 35, 44]. The purpose
of the present study is to determine the
hydrogeochemistry of surface water and groundwater in
Nakdong River and adjacent delta and to classify the
water in order to evaluate its suitability for domestic and
agricultural uses. WATEQ4F geochemical model was
used for calculating the saturation index of the minerals.

2. Study area:

The study area is located at the downstream of the
Nakdong River (Fig.1), which is the longest river in
Korea. The length of the Nakdong River is 525km, and
the total watershed area is 24,000 km
2
. The river has the
8 main tributaries. The river is connected to the East
China Sea. Flood frequently happens in the study area
during summer, and many sediments and organics
deposit in the study area.



Fig1: Location map of the study area
The delta deposits are about 60~90 m deep, and
composed of backfill, upper clay, sand, lower clay and
gravel in sequence. It is estimated that sediments on
gravel began to deposit from the late Pleistocene Epoch,
i.e., the end of 4
th
glacial period [29, 38]. Basal gravel
bed indicates an unconformity between delta sediments
and bedrock. The bedrock consists of granite, andesite
or rhyolite. The thickness of upper clay ranges 5~10 m,
sand 10~40 m, lower clay 10~30 m, and gravel 5~40 m,
respectively. The upper clay is relatively soft and loose,
but lower clay is relatively stiff and dense. An
unconfined aquifer of sand layer and a confined aquifer
of gravel layer co-exist in the study area. The industrial
complex is located near the right side of the Nakdong
River in the study area, and many factories are managed
at the upstream of the Nakdong River. Many rice
paddies and greenhouses of fruits and vegetables are
also managed in the delta as well as its upstream area.
Many houses, roads and airport are also located in the
deltaic region. Thus, some contaminants such as nitrate,
phosphate, and some inorganic and organic materials
occasionally come into the Nakdong River, even though
the city controls contamination sources very well. The
mouth of the Nakdong River is connected to East China
Sea. By the way, the barrages were constructed at the
river mouth to prevent seawater intrusion in 1987. Thus,
Monitoring Site
Nakdong River
GW2

SW1
GW1
South Korea
458
A Preliminary investigation of hydro geochemistry, metals and saturation index of minerals in
Nakdong surface water and adjacent deltaic groundwater using WATEQ4F geochemical model
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 07, No. 02, April, 2014, pp. 456-466
the influence of seawater has been very limited in the
study area since 1987.

3. Material and Methods:

To assess the water chemistry of the study area, one
surface water and two groundwater samples were
collected during the period of autumn (October) in the
study area. Three monitoring stations were selected for
collecting samples such as SW1, GW1 and GW2. The
distance between GW1 and GW2 is 2.5 km, and that
between GW1 and SW1 is 2 km. Then, it was sealed
and brought to the laboratory for analysis and stored
properly (4C) before analysis. Standard procedures
were followed for the analysis of groundwater and
surface water samples [1]. Some references were
measured in the field using portable instruments: Therm
Orion 250A
+
, U.S.A. for pH, Kasahara TR-5Z, Japan
for turbidity and TOA CM-14P, Japan for electrical
conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS).
Alkalinity was measured with titration method using
0.02 N H
2
SO
4
in the field. Major cations and heavy
metals were determined by Atomic Absorption
Spectrometer (AAS, PerkinElmer 400) and Inductively
Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS, Agilent
7500 CE). Major anions were analyzed by Ion
chromatography (Water 431). Hardness was expressed
as the equivalent of the calcium carbonate (CaCO
3
), and
calculated by the equation,

Mg . Ca . H
T
1 4 5 2 .


All concentration values were expressed in milligram
per liter unless otherwise indicated. Analytical grade
chemicals were used throughout the study without
further purification. To prepare all reagents and
calibration standards, double distilled water was used.
Aquachem Ver.4 Software was used for the generation
of hydrogeochemical plots. In this study, aqueous
speciation computed with WATEQ4F [3] was used to
define possible saturation index in the aquifer system
and to assess the state of equilibrium between
groundwater and minerals.

4. Results and discussion:

4.1. Water chemistry:
The chemical composition of the groundwater samples
of the study is given in Table1 and Fig.2. The general
dominance of anion was in the order of Cl > HCO
3
>
SO
4
> NO
3
. Groundwater was a little alkaline in nature,
and EC values were higher at monitoring well GW1
compared to GW2 and SW1. HCO
3
in the study area
was higher (959 mg/L, GW1) due to weathering of
carbonate minerals of the study area. The concentration
of Cl was higher in groundwater (15,865 mg/L)
compared to the surface water due to residual saline
water, industrial and domestic activities, and dry
climatic condition [4, 33, 36, 45]. The distance between
sampling stations and Sea of China is about 13 km.
Chemical and electrical factories, airport, houses, and
restaurants are located at the study area. SO
4
was higher
in GW2 (44 mg/L) indicating the results of water-rock
interaction and human influences [8, 28]. NO
3
was
noted in GW2 (6.8 mg/L) indicating leaching of organic
substances from weathered soil. The general dominance
of cations was in the order of Na > Mg > Ca > K. For
cations, Na was higher in GW1 (9,014 mg/L)
representing the influences of seawater intrusion and
anthropogenic sources. K was a little high in all samples
due to its lower geochemical mobility. Ca and Mg were
very high in GW1 (754.8 and 1,114 mg/L) as the results
of industrial and agricultural activities.

The agricultural activities include rice farming,
vegetable and fruit cultivations. F was a little shown in
GW1, and originated from the parent rock, granite and
andesite. Further concentration has been brought about
due to semi-arid climate of the region and long
residence time of groundwater in the aquifer [49]. The
geology of the study area consists of the Cretaceous
sedimentary rocks, igneous intrusive rocks, and
Quaternary alluvial deposits. The influence of local
lithology and soil aided by other factor like small
quantity of freshwater exchange due to the semi-arid
climate (average daily temperature 25C and average
daily rainfall of 2 mm) was responsible for higher
concentration of fluoride in the groundwater of the
region. Higher concentration of fluoride was noted in
granite, andesite followed by rhyolite due to presence of
dominant fluoride-bearing minerals like apatite,
hornblende, and biotite which has enhanced the fluoride
concentration. The order of abundance of heavy metals
was followed by Sr > Mn > Zn > Fe > Cu. The
concentrations of heavy metals in the study area were
shown within the permissible limits of Korean drinking
water standard except Sr (strontium). The high
concentration of Sr (28.5 mg/L) was originated from
seawater intrusion [26]. The study area was influenced
by transgression and regression of seawater several
times before the Holocene Epoch. The geological
relation between sedimentary deposits and the basement
of bedrock is unconformity. The bedrock was formed in
the late Cretaceous Period, and the sediment deposits
were estimated to be formed from the late Tertiary
Period. Thus, it is thought that the groundwater quality
was affected by the old saline water during transgressive
activities, and that the groundwater showed high
concentration of Sr.

4.2. Water types:
The major ion chemistry of water is examined by using
Piper [31] trilinear diagram to identify chemical
evolution in groundwater. The Piper diagram consists of
459
S. VENKATRAMANAN, S. Y. CHUNG, N. PARK, T. RAMKUMAR AND
G .GNANACHANDRASAMY
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 07, No. 02, April, 2014, pp. 456-466
two lower triangular fields and a central diamond-
shaped field. The triangular fields are plotted separately
with epm values of cations (Ca+Mg) alkali earth,
(Na+K) alkali, HCO
3
weak acid, and (SO
4
+Cl) strong
acid. Water facies can be identified by plotting in the
central diamond-shaped field as the classifications made
by [24]. Hydrogeochemical facies is a useful tool for
determining the flow pattern and environmental history
of groundwater masses (Fig.3). Groundwater samples
fall in the Na-Cl (GW1), Ca-Na-Mg-HCO
3
-SO
4
(GW2)
and Ca-Na-Mg-HCO
3
-SO
4
-Cl (SW1) facies. The
enrichment of HCO
3
in anion indicates the
transformation of hard calcium bicarbonate type to
alkaline mixed bicarbonate type along the flow path
which favors higher mobility of fluoride ions (>1.5
mg/L) into the groundwater system. The similar facies
were identified at stations GW2 and SW1, due to
groundwater recharged from surface water during the
study period [30, 40].

4.3. Mechanisms controlling the groundwater
chemistry:
The reaction between water and aquifer minerals has a
significant role on the characteristics of groundwater
quality [5]. General chemistry of groundwater is
regulated by diverse processes and various mechanisms
controlling the aquifer system. Because the study area
experienced dry and semi-arid climatic condition,
evaporation might contribute to groundwater chemistry
in the study region.

Table1: Statistics of water chemistry (all values in mg/L except pH and EC)

Parameters Min - Max Average St. Dev.
Ca 12.63 - 754.8 262.00 381.73
Mg 4.05 - 1114.4 375.74 572.17
Na 11.7 - 9014.0 3014.66 4647.07
Cl 12.01 - 5865.0 5298.33 8184.91
HCO
3
37 - 959 355.33 467.83
SO
4
5 - 44 22.00 17.87
TDS 117.2 - 4700 5026 8377.9
EC 167.5 - 1000 7179.8 11969
K 3.1 - 230.48 80.19 116.43
Fe 0 - 0.13 0.08 0.06
Mn 0.006 - 7.836 2.62 4.04
Cu 0 - 0.082 0.04 0.00
Zn 0.006 - 0.274 0.14 0.00
Sr 0.168 - 28.46 9.64 14.58
F 0 - 0.27 0.09 0.14
NO
3
0.3 - 6.8 2.93 3.06
pH 7.2-7.7 7.53 0.289

460
A Preliminary investigation of hydro geochemistry, metals and saturation index of minerals in
Nakdong surface water and adjacent deltaic groundwater using WATEQ4F geochemical model
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 07, No. 02, April, 2014, pp. 456-466
Na Ca Mg Cl HCO3SO4 Fe Mn Cu Zn Sr K F NO3
Parameters
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
1.0
10.0
100.0
1000.0
C
o
n
c
e
n
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
s

(
)
Box and Whisker Plot GW1
Legend
Max.
75percentile
Median
25percentile
Min.
Na Ca Mg Cl HCO3SO4 Fe Mn Cu Zn Sr K F NO3
Parameters
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
1.0
10.0
C
o
n
c
e
n
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
s

(
m
e
q
/
l
)
Box and Whisker Plot GW2
Legend
Max.
75percentile
Median
25percentile
Min.

Na Ca Mg Cl HCO3SO4 K F NO3 Fe Mn Cu Zn Sr
Parameters
0
0
0
0
0
1
C
o
n
c
e
n
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
s

(
m
e
q
/
l
)
Box and Whisker Plot SW1
Legend
Max.
75 percentile
Median
25 percentile
Min.
Na Ca Mg Cl HCO3SO4 Fe Mn Cu Zn Sr K F NO3
Parameters
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
1.0
10.0
C
o
n
c
e
n
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
s

(
m
e
q
/
l
)
Box and Whisker Plot GW2
Legend
Max.
75 percentile
Median
25 percentile
Min.

Fig2: Box and Whisker plots of chemical components in groundwaters and surface water

Gibbs plot was employed in this study to understand
and differentiate the influences of rockwater
interaction, evaporation, and precipitation on water
chemistry [15]. Fig. 3 illustrates that SW1 and GW2
falls in waterrock interaction field, and GW1 plotted
on evaporation zone, which indicating the interaction
between rock chemistry and the percolating water into
the subsurface.

8
0
6
0
4
0
2
0
2
0
4
0
6
0
8
0
20
40
60
80 80
60
40
20
20
40
60
80
20
40
60
80
Ca Na+K HCO3 Cl
Mg SO4
Piper Plot
D
D
D
B
B
B
C
C
C
Legend
Legend
D
GW1
B
GW2
C
SW1


Fig3: Hydrogeochemical facies of
groundwater and surface water
461
S. VENKATRAMANAN, S. Y. CHUNG, N. PARK, T. RAMKUMAR AND
G .GNANACHANDRASAMY
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 07, No. 02, April, 2014, pp. 456-466
4.4. Evaporation:
The process of evaporation is not only a common
phenomenon in surface water and groundwater system.
Na/Cl ratio is widely used to find out the evaporation
process in groundwater. Evaporation will increase the
concentration of TDS in water, but the Na/Cl ratio
remains the same. It is one of good evidences for
evaporation process. If evaporation is the dominant
process, Na/Cl ratio should be constant although EC
rises [22, 33]. Na/Cl versus EC scatter diagram of the
groundwater samples (Fig.5) shows that its trend line is
inclined, and Na/Cl ratio decreases with increasing
salinity (EC) which seems to be the removal of sodium
by ion exchange reaction. This observation indicates
that evaporation may not be the major geochemical
process controlling the chemistry of water in this study
region, and ion exchange reaction can be predominant
over evaporation. Gibbs diagrams (Fig.4) justify that
evaporation is not a dominant process in this present
study.

4.5. I rrigation quality:
Excessive sodium in water produces the undesirable
effects such as the change of soil properties and the
reduction of soil permeability [25]. Hence, for
considering the suitability for irrigation, Na
concentration needs to be assessed. The degree of the
participation of irrigation water in cation exchange
reaction can be indicated by Sodium Adsorption Ratio
(SAR). Na replacing adsorbed Ca
2+
and Mg
2+
is a
hazard because it reduces the permeability of soil. SAR
is defined as:

SAR=Na
+
/Ca
2+
+ Mg
2+
/2

where the concentrations are reported in meq/L. Wilcox
plot of SAR versus EC shows the rating of irrigation
water (Fig.6). Na and salinity hazard are two important
parameters, which can indicate suitability of water for
irrigation purposes. The classification of irrigation water
based on SAR [37] represents that both SW1 and GW2
fall in C1S1 category (Fig.6). They can be used for salt
tolerant to semi-tolerant crops under favorable drainage
conditions. However, GW1 falls in C4S4 category, and
it can be used only for irrigation with high sodium and
salinity hazards.






Fig4: Mechanism controlling the water chemistry of the
study area


462
A Preliminary investigation of hydro geochemistry, metals and saturation index of minerals in
Nakdong surface water and adjacent deltaic groundwater using WATEQ4F geochemical model
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 07, No. 02, April, 2014, pp. 456-466

Fig5: Relationship between EC and Na/Cl in the water



Fig6: Wilcox diagram for the irrigation status of
groundwater and surface water

4.6. Saturation index (SI ) by WATEQ4F geochemical
modeling:
The aqueous speciation, chemical composition,
distribution, and saturation state of three water samples
with respect to various mineral phases were calculated
using the computerized geochemical model WATEQ4F
[32]. The saturation state of the water samples is defined
by the SI as the following:


Positive values of SI indicate that water is
supersaturated with respect to mineral phase. Negative
values indicate undersaturation, and zero indicates
equilibrium. The characterization of the thermodynamic
state for the observed calculations shows which
processes were performed in the aquifer system. The
replacement of minerals is likely for water composition
that is supersaturated with respect to one mineral while
undersaturated with respect to another. All these
reactions would tend to move an observed water
composition from the predicted mixing curve toward
equilibrium at SI = 0.

Saturation index of carbonate minerals is mainly based
on the HCO
3
concentration in water. Bicarbonate
derived by the pressure of weathering or from other
source remains in the aqueous medium trying to
equilibrate with different ions like Ca
2+
, Mg
2+
or both to
attain saturation with different minerals like Calcite,
Aragonite, Dolomite, Magnesite, Strontianite,
Rhodochrosite, Smithsonite, Siderite, Azurite and
Malachite. SIs of Carbonate minerals (Fig.7) show
undersaturation to saturation state in all water samples.
The saturation state of Carbonate minerals are in the
following order: Azurite > Malachite > Dolomite >
Smithsonite > Strontianite > Rhodochrosite > Magnesite
> Siderite > Aragonite > Calcite. The calculated values
of SI for sulphate minerals (Fig.8) of the water samples
shows undersaturation to equilibrium state in all wells.
This represents that water-rock interaction play a vital
role for the groundwater of the study area. The
saturation state of sulphate minerals are in the following
order: Brochantite > Antlerite > Jarosite > Epsomite >
Anhydrite > Gypsum. Saturation index of oxide
minerals (Fig.9) like Pyrolusite > Manganite >
Ferrihydrite > Brusite > Tenorite > Zincite > Goethite.

463
S. VENKATRAMANAN, S. Y. CHUNG, N. PARK, T. RAMKUMAR AND
G .GNANACHANDRASAMY
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 07, No. 02, April, 2014, pp. 456-466


Fig9: Saturation index of oxide minerals

5. Conclusion:

The results of this study provide an outline of the
geochemical processes controlling the water chemistry
in the study area. The hydrogeochemical types of water
can be divided into two major groups. The first group
includes mixed Na-Cl and Ca-Na-Mg-HCO
3
-SO
4
followed by, Ca-Na-Mg-HCO
3
-SO
4
-Cl types, revealing
the influences of seawater and anthropogenic activity.
The concentrations of TDS in water samples are >1,000
mg/L, i.e., saline water. The relative concentrations of
the major ions occur in the order of Na > Mg > Ca > K,
Cl > HCO
3
> SO
4
> NO
3
, and metals Sr > Mn > Zn >
Fe>Cu. In the study area, water-rock interaction and
anthropogenic activity are the major hydrogeochemical
processes responsible for the formation of major ions in
groundwater. Higher concentration of strontium in some
groundwater can be resulted from the seawater
influence. Saturation index of minerals indicates
undersaturated and equilibria state of carbonate,
sulphate and oxide minerals during the study period. In
general, water chemistry is determined by lithological
Stations
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
20
Anhydrite
Epsomite

Gypsum

Jarosite

Celestite

Antlerite

Brochantite

S
I

o
f

S
u
l
p
h
a
t
e

M
i
n
e
r
a
l
s

(
L
o
g

I
A
P
/
K
T
)
SW1 GW1 GW2
Stations
-60
-40
-20
0
20
Brusite

Pyrolusite

Zincite

Ferrihydrite

Goethite

Manganite

Cuprite

Tenorite

S
I

o
f

O
x
i
d
e

M
i
n
e
r
a
l
s

(
L
o
g

I
A
P
/
K
T
)
SW1 GW1 GW2
Fig8: Saturation index of sulphate minerals
Stations
S
I

o
f

C
a
r
b
o
n
a
t
e

M
i
n
e
r
a
l
s

(
L
o
g

I
A
P
/
K
T
)
-60
-40
-20
0
20
Aragonite
Calcite
Dolomite
Magnesite
Strontianite
Rhodochrosite
Smithsonite
Siderite
Azurite
Malachite
SW1 GW1
GW2
Fig7: Saturation index of carbonate minerals
464
A Preliminary investigation of hydro geochemistry, metals and saturation index of minerals in
Nakdong surface water and adjacent deltaic groundwater using WATEQ4F geochemical model
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 07, No. 02, April, 2014, pp. 456-466
influences by complex weathering process or ion
exchange along with influence of ions from
anthropogenic impact. The information presented in this
study will be helpful for the sustainable management of
groundwater resources in relation with water chemistry,
and enables planners and policymakers to evolve a
strategy to solve similar problems.

6. Acknowledgement:

This research was supported by a grant (Code:
13AWMP-B066761-01) from AWMP Program funded
by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of
Korean government. The authors express deep gratitude
to two anonymous referees and editor for their
constructive comments and suggestions which lead to
significant improvements to the manuscript.

7. References:

[1] APHA (American Public Health Association)
(1998) Standard methods for the examination of
water and wastewater, 20th edn. American Public
Health Association/American Water Works
Association/Water Environment Federation,
Washington DC.
[2] A. Astel, S. Tsakouski, P. Barbieri, V. Simeonov,
Comparison of self-organizing maps
classification approach with cluster and principal
components analysis for large environmental data
sets. Water Research, 41, 45664578, 2007.
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