Water treatment measures to improve ecological value in traditional Korean villages: The case of Oeam village, Asan City, Korea

Abstract

Maintaining and improving the ecological soundness and value of Korea's traditionalvillages can contribute to their role as tourism resources. This study examined water treatmentmeasures intended to improve the ecological value of one of South Korea's traditional villages byanalyzing the efficiency of water treatment in a pond at the village's entrance and changes in floraaround the village pond. The results demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of non-pointpollutant sources flowing from the pond into surrounding farmland. Treatment efficiencies of TotalNitrogen, Dissolved Oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, and Chemical Oxygen Demand andTotal Phosphorus were 75.33, 30.02, 65.52, 59.12 and 78.85 percent respectively. Moreover, changesto the flora around the village pond were analyzed. Prior to the village pond being dug, the floraconsisted of a single-species gramineous plant; however, after the village pond was constructed, ninetypes of aquatic plants were identified, including lotus plants. The flora diversity was increased, withthe aquatic plants showing strong growth. This pond function influences the reduction of pollutionload for streams outside the village, and distributes the treatment effects of pollution sources thatoccur inside the village.