Hydrochemical Properties of Groundwater Used for Korea Bottled Waters in Relation to Geology

Bottled waters have been becoming increasingly popular in Korea over the last two decades due to the high demand for safe drinking water. Hydrochemical characterization of groundwater is essential for understanding quality properties of bottled waters. We investigated hydrochemistry of 60 manufacture factories for bottled waters in relation to geology. The mean EC value is highest in groundwaters of Ogcheon metamorphic rocks (213.6 μS/cm) > Precambrian gneiss (177.8 μS/cm) > Cretaceous granite (160.4 μS/cm) > Jurassic granite (131.3 μS/cm) > Quaternary Jeju Island volcanic rocks (99.2 μS/cm). The groundwater types are commonly classified as Ca-HCO3, Ca-Na-HCO3, or Ca-Mg-HCO3 types depending on bed rocks. Based on correlation matrix, the groundwater chemistry was controlled by water–rock interactions. We established relationships between groundwater compositions and bedrock geology in Korea.