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Abstract
Cheju island is occupied by very permeable and productive basaltic aquifers with the highest rainfall in South Korea. Moreover, the aquifers, whose DRASTIC index ranges from 101 to 187 are most vulnerable to potential and existing contaminant sources. Since 1980, more than 3300 water wells were drilled all over the island without any institutional pollution controls. This has created serious groundwater contamination problems, by nitrate, viruses, and E‐coli especially in the down‐gradient area. A study for establishing regional and local groundwater protection strategies was conducted to set up the rational use of groundwater from sole source aquifer and to protect it from potential contaminants.
Those strategies are based on the best management practices(BMP) of the groundwater resources. Three protection zones for regional protection and local protection programs including, buffer, recharge and aquifer protection areas, are set up to regulate the potential contaminant sources in the areas. Regulation guidelines to protect the groundwater resources against land uses and various development activities in the designated zones are presented.