30 Villages in Gwangju Water Source Protection Area Designated as 'Environmental Maintenance Zones'... Relief for Property Rights Exercise

Thirty villages in the water source protection area of Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do have been additionally designated as environmental maintenance zones, easing restrictions on property rights.

Thirty villages within the Paldang water source protection area in Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do have been additionally designated as 'Environmental Maintenance Zones,' easing restrictions on property rights.

On the 1st, Gyeonggi-do announced that it will conduct a public inspection for residents regarding the proposal to additionally designate 30 natural villages (0.161㎢) within the Paldang water source protection area in Gwangju-si as Environmental Maintenance Zones.

An Environmental Maintenance Zone is designated when an area within a water source protection zone is newly included in a sewage treatment area. Once designated as an Environmental Maintenance Zone, more relaxed regulations compared to the water source protection zone apply, allowing property rights activities such as expanding farmhouses or changing the use of buildings to retail stores and restaurants.

These 30 natural village areas have faced restrictions on property rights due to overlapping regulations from the designation of the water source protection zone in 1975, as well as development restriction zones and special water quality conservation measures.

Within the Paldang water source protection area, 79 natural villages covering 6.852㎢ were previously designated as Environmental Maintenance Zones, and with this additional designation, the area of Environmental Maintenance Zones has expanded to 7.013㎢ without changing the number of villages.

The public inspection will be held from the 1st to the 14th of this month and can be accessed at the Water and Sewage Division of the Gyeonggi Provincial Water Resources Headquarters and the Water Quality Policy Division of Gwangju City Hall.

Gyeonggi-do stated that if there are no objections, the announcement will be made from the 16th, and if there are objections, further review will be conducted within 30 days before the announcement.

Song Yong-wook, head of the Gyeonggi Provincial Water Resources Headquarters, said, "Since the designation of Environmental Maintenance Zones began in 2009, the water quality of the Paldang water source has been stably maintained from 'very good' to 'good' based on the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) standard," adding, "The designation of Environmental Maintenance Zones is a minimal measure to improve the living environment of residents living in the water source protection area, and we will strive to expand it within the scope that balances regulatory relaxation and water quality conservation."

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