Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater (상하수도학회지)

The Korean Society of Water and Wastewater (대한상하수도학회)
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Comparative analysis of water quality between water purifiers and tap water in Kangwon National University

강원대학교 내 정수기와 수돗물의 수질 특성 비교 연구

  • Su-Ji Kim (Department of Environmental Engineering, Kangwon National University) ;
  • Byeong-Heon Choi (Department of Environmental Engineering, Kangwon National University) ;
  • Jae-Beom Choi (Department of Environmental Engineering, Kangwon National University) ;
  • Yeong-Hwa Lee (Department of Environmental Engineering, Kangwon National University) ;
  • Jin-Hyuk Choi (Department of Environmental Engineering, Kangwon National University) ;
  • Jeong-Ann Park (Department of Environmental Engineering, Kangwon National University)
  • 김수지 (강원대학교 환경공학과) ;
  • 최병헌 (강원대학교 환경공학과) ;
  • 최재범 (강원대학교 환경공학과) ;
  • 이영화 (강원대학교 환경공학과) ;
  • 최진혁 (강원대학교 환경공학과) ;
  • 박정안 (강원대학교 환경공학과)
  • Received : 2025.12.30
  • Accepted : 2026.01.22
  • Published : 2026.02.15
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Abstract

Water purifiers are widely used in public facilities; however, concerns regarding potential microbiological contamination due to improper maintenance have been continuously raised, and comparative studies on water quality between purified water and tap water remain limited. This study aimed to compare the water quality characteristics of water purifiers and tap water installed within Kangwon National University campus and to evaluate the microbiological safety of water purifiers. Water quality was analyzed from tap water, water purifiers, and water outlets at seven locations on campus from April to September 2023. The analyzed water quality parameters included turbidity, chloride ion (Cl-) concentration, total nitrogen (T-N), residual chlorine, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total colony counts, and total coliforms. The results indicated that most samples met the drinking water quality standards; however, tap water at site D failed to satisfy the standards for turbidity (> 0.5 NTU) and residual chlorine (0.01-0.18 mg/L). The cleaning only or cleaning/filter replacement process generally improved water quality; however, several parameters, including residual chlorine, chloride ions, and EC, showed slight increases at some sites after cleaning/filter replacement. During summer, the exceedance rate of total colony counts in water purifiers increased by 3.87% compared to spring, and concentrations at water outlets were 23.72 times higher than in spring. Furthermore, during summer vacation, when purifier usage frequency was low and ambient temperatures were high, the exceedance rate of total colony counts in purified water increased by 18.3%, and concentrations at water outlets increased by 2.33-fold. However, total colony counts in tap water remained very low even during summer vacation, which is attributed to the increased residual chlorine levels in drinking water treatment plant. Additionally, total coliforms were not detected in any samples from tap water, water purifiers, or water outlets throughout the study period.

다중이용시설에서 정수기 사용이 보편화되었으나, 부적절한 관리로 인한 미생물학적 오염 가능성이 지속적으로 제기되고 있으며, 정수기 처리수와 수돗물 간의 체계적인 수질 비교 연구는 부족한 실정이다. 본 연구는 강원대학교 캠퍼스 내 설치된 정수기와 수돗물의 수질 특성을 비교하고, 정수기의 미생물학적 안전성을 평가하고자 하였다. 2023년 4월부터 9월까지 교내 7개 지점에서 수돗물, 정수기, 그리고 취수부를 대상으로 수질을 분석하였다. 분석 항목은 탁도, 염소이온(Cl-) 농도, 총질소(T-N), 잔류염소, pH, 전기전도도(EC), 일반세균, 총대장균군으로 설정하였다. 그 결과, 대부분 먹는 물 수질기준에 잘 부합하는 것을 확인하였으나, D 지점의 수돗물은 탁도 (> 0.5 NTU)와 잔류염소(0.01-0.18 mg/L) 항목에서 먹는 물 수질기준에 부합하지 않았다. 정수기 클리닝 단독 및 클리닝/필터 교체 후 전반적으로 수질이 개선되는 효과가 있었으나, 클리닝/필터 교체 직후에는 몇몇 지점에서 잔류염소, Cl- 및 EC의 측정값이 다소 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 여름철에는 정수기의 일반세균 수질기준 초과율이 봄철에 비해 3.87% 증가했으며, 취수부의 일반세균 농도는 봄철 대비 23.72배 높았다. 또한, 여름 방학기간에는 정수기 사용 빈도가 낮고, 기온이 높아 정수기 처리수에서 일반세균의 먹는 물 수질 기준 초과율이 18.3% 증가했고, 취수부의 농도는 2.33배 증가하였다. 하지만, 수돗물의 일반세균은 여름철에도 매우 낮게 나타났으며, 이는 정수장에서의 잔류염소 증가에 의한 영향으로 판단된다. 또한, 조사 기간 내내 수돗물, 정수기, 취수부 부위의 모든 시료에서 총대장균군은 검출되지 않았다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

본 연구는 2021년도 정부(교육부)의 재원으로 한국연구재단(No: 2021R1I1A3046581)의 지원을 받아 수행되었습니다.

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