Korea Water Resources Corporation and Hyundai Construction, Illegal Disposal of Designated Waste in Water Source Protection Area

K-water Allows Construction Land Use for Earthfill and Borrow Pits in Water Source Protection Areas Despite Awareness

The damaged appearance of the area around San 119, Jukhak-ri, Seungju-eup, Suncheon-si, approved by the Korea Water Resources Corporation as a reclamation site and landfill site.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Controversy has arisen over the installation of a borrow pit and soil disposal site within the water source protection area as part of the construction work ordered by Korea Water Resources Corporation to stabilize the facility of the water diversion tunnel connecting Juam Dam and Sangsa Dam.

In particular, it has been confirmed that amber rock, a type of waste, was processed on the land within the water source protection area around 119 Jukhak-ri, Seungju-eup, near Sangsa Dam, which is used as a drinking water source by the citizens of Suncheon.

Amber rock is industrial waste generated during the water diversion tunnel construction, consisting of stone powder or stone fragments, causing fine dust due to dust generation and land pollution. Strict management should have been enforced, but Hyundai Engineering & Construction ignored the installation of dust barriers and proceeded with the construction for several years.

Moreover, suspicions have been raised that Korea Water Resources Corporation granted special favors to Hyundai Engineering & Construction, the contractor, allowing the use of land owned by the Water Resources Corporation within the water source protection area as a borrow pit and amber rock disposal site.

Regarding this, a Water Resources Corporation official stated, “There is no problem as the site was selected through a material source survey service,” adding, “The land was purchased based on the results of the material source survey service to be used as a borrow pit and soil disposal site.”

The Water Resources Corporation’s material source survey service includes a passage that can be interpreted as ‘not excluding the water source protection area.’

In other words, Korea Water Resources Corporation and Hyundai Engineering & Construction are suspected of choosing environmental destruction to reduce construction costs since the transportation distance from the water diversion tunnel construction site to the borrow pit is only 1.2 km.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction needed a large amount of soil to install water barriers during the water diversion tunnel construction process.

Korea Water Resources Corporation designated and purchased land within the water source protection area as a borrow pit through a material survey, then allowed Hyundai Engineering & Construction to excavate soil from there.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction dumped the soil used for the water barriers and amber rock generated from the water diversion tunnel construction at the borrow pit, and the land is currently being used as a soil disposal site after changing its designation from a borrow pit.

A Water Resources Corporation official said, “We have a restoration plan to plant trees and other vegetation on the soil disposal site after dismantling the water barriers.”

However, some argue that soil contamination is occurring, as the amber rock is turning black, and that the use of the soil disposal site should be reconsidered in principle.

Accordingly, voices are emerging calling for related agencies such as the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, Yeongsan River Basin Environmental Office, and Suncheon City to verify the facts, punish the perpetrators, and prepare measures for the water source protection area.

This is not the first time Hyundai Engineering & Construction has been criticized for amber rock disposal issues.

Last year, at a site ordered by the Korea Railroad Corporation, Hyundai Engineering & Construction was criticized by the media for leaving amber rock untreated without installing dust barriers to prevent scattered dust during the disposal process.

Meanwhile, due to the above issues, Hyundai Engineering & Construction’s subcontractor has filed a request for an audit with the Water Resources Corporation’s Audit Office and is currently awaiting the audit results.

The blackening, decaying amber rock is clearly visible. It has been left unattended without any facilities to minimize dust barriers or scattered dust generation.

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