Title: 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 traditional villages can contribute to their role as tourism resources. This study examined water treatment measures intended to improve the ecological value of one of South Korea’s traditional villages by analyzing the efficiency of water treatment in a pond at the village’s entrance and changes in flora around the village pond. The results demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of non-point pollutant sources flowing from the pond into surrounding farmland. Treatment efficiencies of Total Nitrogen, Dissolved Oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, and Chemical Oxygen Demand and Total Phosphorus were 75.33, 30.02, 65.52, 59.12 and 78.85 percent respectively. Moreover, changes to the flora around the village pond were analyzed. Prior to the village pond being dug, the flora consisted of a single-species gramineous plant; however, after the village pond was constructed, nine types of aquatic plants were identified, including lotus plants. The flora diversity was increased, with the aquatic plants showing strong growth. This pond function influences the reduction of pollution load for streams outside the village, and distributes the treatment effects of pollution sources that occur inside the village.