Algae Alert Issued for Juamho Lake After 14 Years... Expanded to Nearby Areas

First Algae Alert Issued for Juamho Lake Since 2011
Heatwave and Heavy Rain Blamed for Rapid Algae Growth

The algae alert issued for Juamho Lake, the water source for Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, has expanded to nearby areas for the first time in 14 years.

The Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office announced on September 1 that it had issued an "attention" level algae alert in front of Juam Dam, located in Juam-myeon, Suncheon City, South Jeolla Province, on August 28. This comes just one week after the same attention-level alert was issued near Sinpyeonggyo Bridge in Songgwang-myeon on August 21.

A view of Juamho Lake with dense green algae bloom. Provided by Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office

The attention level is declared when blue-green algae, which cause algal blooms, are detected at concentrations of 1,000 to less than 10,000 cells per milliliter in two consecutive tests. In front of Juam Dam, tests conducted on August 18 and 25 confirmed 1,575 and 1,510 cells per milliliter, respectively. This is the first time since 2011 that an algae alert has been issued for Juamho Lake. The Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office attributes the rapid increase in algae to both the heatwave and heavy rainfall.

The Environmental Office has increased the number of water circulation devices from 19 to 26 and is operating them, while also disturbing the algae twice a week using boats. Floating debris washed in by heavy rain is being collected, and a barrier has been installed upstream of the lake to prevent the spread of pollutants to the water intake area. So far, water quality at the source has been maintained, and the plan is to further strengthen water purification processes targeting algal toxins and odor-causing substances to ensure safety.

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