Seongnam City Installs “Smart Sewage Odor Reduction Facilities” at Six Old Downtown Sewer Line Sites

Pedestrian Sections in Sinheung 2-dong, Jungang-dong, and Eunhaeng 2-dong
Eliminating Odors from Manholes and Storm Drains

Seongnam-si in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Shin Sangjin) announced on the 23rd that it has installed “Smart Sewage Odor Reduction Facilities” at six locations along the old downtown sewer lines in the Sujeong and Jungwon areas.

"Smart Sewage Odor Reduction Facility" installed along the pedestrian walkway in Eunhaeng-dong, Jungwon-gu, Seongnam City. Provided by Seongnam City

The facilities were installed along certain pedestrian sections in the neighborhoods of Sinheung 2-dong, Jungang-dong, and Eunhaeng 2-dong, where residents had repeatedly filed complaints about sewage odors rising from manholes and storm drains.

Measurements of odor concentration in the relevant sections, on a scale of Grade 1 to 5, showed an average of Grade 4 (hydrogen sulfide at or below 10 ppm).

In response, the city invested a total of 360 million won (60 million won per location) to install the sewage odor reduction facilities.

The Smart Sewage Odor Reduction Facility is a pole-type structure with a height of 3.5 meters.

The facility uses sensors to detect in real time the concentration of hydrogen sulfide and other odor-causing gases inside the sewer pipes.

If the odor concentration reaches or exceeds the standard level of 0.5 ppm, the blower fan operates automatically to capture the odor gas.

The captured odor gas is then treated through adsorption and decomposition devices, such as activated carbon installed inside the facility, and discharged as purified air.

The city plans to maintain the efficiency of sewage odor reduction on an ongoing basis by regularly replacing and managing the adsorbents and decomposers, including activated carbon, once a year.

In March, QR codes will be attached to the facilities so that citizens can check the odor concentration measurements on their smartphones.

These facilities will be additionally installed at four more locations in the Sujeong and Jungwon areas in June.

An official from Seongnam-si said, “In the old downtown areas of Sujeong and Jungwon, 55% of the sewer network uses a combined system in which stormwater and wastewater pipes merge, so complaints are relatively frequent,” adding, “In addition to the Smart Sewage Odor Reduction Facilities, we are also working to improve the living environment by installing spray-type reduction facilities and inspecting air supply devices for septic tanks.”

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