Abstract. This study aimed to develop a risk-based approach for
determining control areas to manage non-point source pollution, developing a framework to prioritize catchments by considering the characteristics of
polluted runoff from non-point sources. The best management, decision-making,
and scientific approaches, such as the technique for order of preference by
similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and the Delphi technique, are required
for the designation of control areas and the application of the best
management practices to the control areas. Multi-criteria decision-making
(MCDM) methods can handle the diversity and complexity of non-point source
pollution. The Delphi technique was employed for selecting the assessment
criteria/sub-criteria and determining their weights. Sub-criteria for each
catchment unit were scored with either a quantitative or qualitative scale.
All non-point pollution sources in mainland Republic of Korea were included,
with the exception of a few islands, with catchment prioritization and
pollution vulnerability evaluations shown as thematic maps. This study
contributes to the field by developing a new risk-based approach for ranking
and prioritizing catchments; this provides valuable information for the
Ministry of Environment to use to identify control areas and manage non-point
source pollution.