Water Supply from Daecheong Dam Eases Chronic Drought in Northwestern Chungnam

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A solution has been found to resolve the water shortage problem faced by the northwestern region of Chungnam due to chronic drought.

According to Chungnam Province on the 2nd, the Daecheong Phase III Wide-Area Water Supply Project has been completed after 11 years. With the completion of the Daecheong Phase III Wide-Area Water Supply, the province expects to supply 580,000 tons of water per day to areas including Cheonan, Asan, Seosan, Dangjin, and Yesan.

Previously, the Daecheong Phase III Wide-Area Water Supply Project was carried out over 11 years following a preliminary feasibility study in 2010, reflecting the anticipated surge in water demand due to various development plans in the northwestern region.

The core of the project involved an investment of 665.6 billion KRW to establish facilities including 131.2 km of transmission pipelines, 3 pumping stations, 1 intake facility, and 2 water purification plants.

The province is also promoting the Western Region Wide-Area Water Supply Project in connection with the Daecheong Phase III project. The Western Region Wide-Area Water Supply Project is scheduled for completion in 2025 and will supply 100,000 tons of water per day for living and industrial use to five cities and counties: Seosan, Dangjin, Hongseong, Yesan, and Taean.

The budget allocated for this project is 310.4 billion KRW, with facilities including 1 water purification plant, 75.7 km of pipelines, and 3 pumping stations.

As part of efforts to solve regional water shortages, the province has also broken ground on the Daesan Coastal Industrial Area Seawater Desalination Project to address the chronic shortage of industrial water in the Daesan coastal industrial area.

This project involves an investment of 279.8 billion KRW to install one seawater desalination plant with a capacity of 100,000 tons per day, one intake facility with a capacity of 210,000 tons per day, and a 19.5 km pipeline system. This will be the largest seawater desalination facility in South Korea.

Upon completion, the Daesan Coastal Seawater Desalination Project will supply 100,000 tons of water per day to four companies: Hyundai Oilbank, LG Chem, Hanwha Total, and Hyundai OCI.

The province expects that once the Daecheong Phase III Wide-Area Water Supply, Western Region Wide-Area Water Supply, and Daesan Coastal Seawater Desalination projects are all completed and operating normally, an additional 780,000 tons of water per day will be supplied.

Yang Seung-jo, Governor of Chungnam Province, stated, “Wide-area water supply projects are essential for the sustainable development of Chungnam and the water welfare of its residents. The 780,000 tons of water from the surplus of Daecheong Dam and the West Sea seawater will be supplied to seven cities and counties and the Daesan coastal industrial area, revitalizing the local economy.”

He added, “The province will continue to expand and implement various projects to resolve drought, including improving water retention rates, expanding supply rates, water conservation, rainwater usage, and reuse of treated wastewater, while deriving permanent drought relief measures.”

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