Pyeongtaek Gwanricheon, Hwaseong Warehouse Fire 'Normalized' After 38 Days

Pyeongtaek City to Dismantle Flood Control Embankment on 15th... Jinwicheon River Discharge Begins
"Goals Met for Harmful Substances, Ecotoxicity, and Color Water Quality Improvement"

On the 15th, Pyeongtaek City in Gyeonggi Province began dismantling the containment dike that had been built to block contaminated water leaked from the hazardous materials storage warehouse fire in Yanggam-myeon, Hwaseong City, from flowing into Jinwicheon Stream, and started releasing the water. This marks the beginning of a near-normalization phase 38 days after the fire incident on January 9.

Lee Kang-hee, Director of the Environmental Bureau of Pyeongtaek City, stated in a press briefing on the 15th, "We have completed the removal of contaminated water 38 days after the water pollution accident in Gwanlicheon Stream and are promoting the gradual normalization of the river's functions."

A panoramic view of the containment work site at Gwanri Stream in Pyeongtaek, where contaminated water flowed in due to a fire at a hazardous materials warehouse in Hwaseong. On the 15th, 38 days after the accident, Pyeongtaek City dismantled the containment dike built to block the inflow of contaminated water into Jinwi Stream and began normal discharge. [Yonhap News]

The city explained that after discussions with related agencies including the Ministry of Environment, Gyeonggi Province, National Institute of Environmental Research, Chemical Safety Agency, Korea Environment Corporation, Korea Rural Community Corporation, and Hwaseong City, the containment work on Gwanlicheon Stream was completed on the 13th, and the containment dike was dismantled starting that afternoon.

Pyeongtaek City and Hwaseong City, which manage the 7.7 km polluted section of Gwanlicheon Stream, have treated approximately 250,000 tons of contaminated river water through containment efforts. Accordingly, the water quality in the affected section meets the improvement targets for all items including specific hazardous substances, ecological toxicity, and color.

Following the dismantling of the containment dike, the city plans to begin river maintenance on the 2.75 km downstream section of Gwanlicheon Stream, which is included in the Han River Basin Environmental Office’s river maintenance project. Additionally, for the middle and upper reaches of Gwanlicheon Stream not included in the maintenance project, the city has requested their inclusion in Gyeonggi Province’s local river maintenance plan.

Furthermore, in cooperation with related agencies such as the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment Research, National Institute of Environmental Research, and Chemical Safety Agency, the city plans to conduct post-environmental impact investigations and continue monitoring the water quality, aquatic ecosystem, river sediments, groundwater, and other surrounding environmental factors of Gwanlicheon and Jinwicheon Streams to assess pollution and its effects.

Meanwhile, Pyeongtaek City intends to claim compensation from the business operator responsible for the pollutant leakage for the containment costs incurred through administrative enforcement, in accordance with relevant laws.

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