Hydrogeologic environment of the Mega City such as Seoul, suffers from rapid changes caused by urbanization, construction of underground subway or buildings, and contaminant loading by diverse anthropogenic activities. Understanding the present condition of groundwater environment and water budget is necessary to prevent natural and manmade disasters and to prepare for sustainable water resource management of urban environment. In this study, regional groundwater flow and water budget status of Seoul was analyzed using numerical simulation. Modeling result indicated that groundwater level distribution of Seoul generally followed the topography, but the significant decreases in groundwater level were observed around the subway network. Steady-state water balance analysis showed groundwater recharge by rainfall and leakage from the water supply network was about 550,495 m³/day. Surface water inflow and baseflow rate via Han River and major streams accounted for 799,689 m³/day and 1,103,906 m³/day, respectively. Groundwater usage was 60,945 m³/day, and the total groundwater leakage along the subway lines amounted to 114,746 m³/day. Modeling results revealed that the subway could decrease net groundwater baseflow by 40%. Our study result demonstrated that the subway system can have a significant influence on the groundwater environment of Seoul.

Keywords: Seoul;Subway;Groundwater budget;Regional flow;Numerical model;