Soyanggang Dam Opens Floodgates After 3 Years... Reaches Han River After 16 Hours

Han River Water Level Expected to Rise 1-2m in 16 Hours
15th Opening Since Completion in 1973
Discharge Scheduled Until Midnight on the 15th

At 3 p.m. on the 5th, Soyanggang Dam in Sinbuk-eup, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Province opened its sluice gates and began releasing water for the first time in three years.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Soyanggang Dam, the last bastion for flood control on the Han River, has exceeded the flood season restricted water level due to continuous heavy rain for five days, prompting the opening of the sluice gates for the first time in three years to regulate the water level.

The Korea Water Resources Corporation's Soyanggang branch opened the sluice gates sequentially at 3 p.m. on the 5th to release water.

Soyanggang branch first opened one central sluice gate to a height of 1 meter, then opened the sluice gates on both sides, and finally opened the remaining two side sluice gates, opening all five sluice gates.

As of 3:30 p.m. that day, the sluice gates were opened to a height of 1.6 meters, releasing 810 tons of water per second, including power generation discharge.

Soyanggang branch plans to adjust the sluice gate height step-by-step with a target maximum discharge of 3,000 tons.

They plan to continue discharging until midnight on the 15th, but the period may change depending on rainfall conditions.

Soyanggang Dam opened its sluice gates for the first time in three years due to heavy rainfall.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Completed in October 1973, Soyanggang Dam has opened its sluice gates a total of 14 times, including a 70-hour continuous opening from 2 p.m. on August 25 to noon on August 28, 2017.

This year, due to recent heavy rains, Soyanggang Dam exceeded the restricted water level, making the opening of the sluice gates inevitable.

The water level of Soyanggang Dam exceeded the flood season restricted water level of 190.3 meters around 8:30 a.m. that day as inflow increased due to heavy rain in the dam basin areas including Chuncheon, Inje, Yanggu, and Hongcheon.

Currently, with dams in the Bukhan River system opening their sluice gates to release water downstream, the opening of the sluice gates at Soyanggang Dam, the uppermost dam, is expected to have a considerable impact on the Han River water level.

As roads are being closed due to flooding, including the submersion of the Jamsu Bridge in Seoul, opening Soyanggang Dam may increase damage, so preparations are required.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.