Improvement of Water Quality in Masan Coastal Waters ... Changwon Deokdong Water Reuse Center Filtration Facility Takes Priority

Changwon Special City Consulting to Find Fundamental Solutions
Comprehensive Feasibility Review of 30-Year-Old Aging Facilities Conducted

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam is preparing and implementing fundamental measures related to the filtration facilities of Deokdong Water Reclamation Center to improve the water quality of the Masan coastal waters.

Changwon City, regarding the Deokdong Water Reclamation Center completed in 2007, determined since July 2013 that reinstalling filtration facilities was necessary to improve the water quality of the Masan coastal waters, and from January 2020, the Sewerage Business Office has been promoting the filtration facility improvement project.

Changwon Special City Hall, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

The filtration facility improvement project has been carried out by the Sewerage Business Office since January 2020 under the mayor’s policy. The selection of the construction method company was completed in July 2020, and detailed design implementation was conducted from May 2020 to December 2021.

After the launch of the 8th term of Changwon Special City, while conducting a comprehensive review of large-scale projects, the Supreme Court ruling on the defect lawsuit regarding the automatic filtration facility was finalized in September 2022, leading to consulting by the auditor and experts for the proper advancement of this project.

As a result, it was pointed out that during the project planning stage in 2020, the following were not implemented according to the Sewerage Act: reflection of the Sewerage Maintenance Basic Plan (Article 5 of the Sewerage Act), investment re-examination, and design economic feasibility.

Accordingly, Changwon City plans to prioritize a comprehensive feasibility review of all aging facilities with the help of experts and to prepare and implement fundamental measures, including a thorough re-examination of the sewage treatment operation method.

The Deokdong Water Reclamation Center exceeds the discharge water quality standards for suspended solids, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus 1 to 3 times annually due to inflow of unclear water caused by seasonal changes and heavy rainfall, but the situation is similar at water reclamation centers in other local governments. It is expected that under the new discharge water standards to be implemented by the Ministry of Environment in January next year, violations will rarely occur.

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