In order to study the long-term change of heavy metal concentrations in the Kumho river water, water analysis was conducted at l3sites surrounding the Kumho river system for l8times from September 1993 to August 1999.
Analytical items for the study of water quality are Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn and Pb.
The six year term studied in this work was divided into Part Ⅰ and Part Ⅱ, which covers the period from September 1993 to August 1996 and the period from September 1996 to August 1999, respectively.
The mean concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn and Pb in the unit of ppm for the PartⅠ period showed 0.032, 0.025, 0.006, 0.006, 0.050, 0.053 and 0.019, respectively. The mean concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn and Pb in the unit of ppm for the Part Ⅱ period showed 0.001, 0.001, 0.001, 0.004, 0.020, 0.002 and 0.002, respectively.
The heavy metal concentrations in the Kumho river water for the second period were found to be decreased by 1/32, 1/25, 1/6, 1/1.5, 1/2.5, 1/26.5 and 1/9.5 for Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn and Pb, respectively. The present results clearly indicate that the water quality in the Kumho river is improving in terms of heavy metal contaminations.