Gyeonggi Institute of Health and Environment to Conduct Water Quality Inspections at 275 Springs in the Province

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment will conduct joint water quality inspections at 275 springs across the province from April to June to ensure water safety.

The inspection will cover a total of 47 items, including four types of microorganisms such as Escherichia coli; 12 types of inorganic substances with adverse health effects such as cadmium and arsenic; 17 types of organic substances with adverse health effects such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE); and 14 items affecting aesthetics, such as taste and odor.

The provincial Institute of Health and Environment will immediately notify city and county authorities of any facilities deemed non-compliant, and post notices to suspend use. Subsequently, the institute plans to improve water quality through procedures such as removing and cleaning nearby sources of contamination, repairing water intake facilities and blocking external contaminants, disinfecting, and conducting re-inspections.

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment is collecting samples for water quality testing at a mineral spring. Provided by the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment

This year, in particular, the institute will conduct monthly checks at 22 sites that have been found non-compliant at least twice in the past five years. The institute itself will collect water samples and perform water quality analyses to further strengthen management of spring water quality.

Last year, the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment surveyed 260 springs, of which 199 were found to be compliant. For the 61 non-compliant sites, each respective local government is currently implementing water quality improvement measures such as installing UV sterilizers.

The test results will be released on-site at the springs, as well as on the websites of the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment (gg.go.kr/gg_health) and the Gyeonggi Provincial Government (gg.go.kr).

Choi Pilkwon, Head of the Water Environment Research Division at the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, said, "We will strive to ensure that residents can use the springs with peace of mind by suggesting appropriate management measures tailored to each source of contamination."

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