Jeju 'Tap Water Larvae' Temporary Suspension of Gangjeong Water Purification Plant... Activation of 'Emergency Response Measures'

Preparation for Alternative Supply at Eoseungsaeng, Hoisu, Topyeong, and Namwon Water Treatment Plants near Gangjeong... Facility Reinforcement in November
Jeju Province "Apologizes to Residents for Inconvenience... Preparing Without Delay and Striving

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won] Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced on the 28th the ‘3 Emergency Measures’ to stabilize tap water in the Jeju Gangjeong Water Purification Plant supply area, which faced issues due to tap water leakage.

Since complaints about tap water larvae arose on the night of October 18, Jeju Province has continuously implemented emergency measures such as backwashing of filters, cleaning, and replacement of filter media to ensure safe tap water supply. However, there were limitations in completely blocking larvae, leading to a temporary suspension of the Gangjeong Water Purification Plant operation and the implementation of drastic measures such as water system switching.

Choi Seung-hyun, Deputy Governor of Jeju Province, stated at a briefing in the provincial government press room, “We sincerely apologize to all residents and tourists who have experienced inconvenience due to the tap water larvae incident.”

He added, “This measure is intended to supply clean tap water free of larvae. We will mobilize all available personnel and resources to carry out supply switching and water purification plant process improvements without delay and promptly resolve residents’ inconvenience.”

The main contents of the measures, to be promoted in cooperation with the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office and K-water Yeongseom Water Supply Support Center, include △ phased water system switching for tap water supply △ facility improvements at Gangjeong Water Purification Plant △ investigation of larvae inflow causes and preparation of recurrence prevention measures.

First, starting this week, Jeju Province plans to urgently link four nearby water purification plants (Eoseungsaeng, Hoesu, Topyeong, Namwon) to the Gangjeong Water Purification Plant supply area to fundamentally block the larvae problem and replace the entire supply area previously served by Gangjeong with larvae-free tap water (21,000 tons/day).

Jeju Province will complete the phased water system switching by the end of October and temporarily suspend the operation of the Gangjeong Water Purification Plant from 6 p.m. on November 1. This measure will be temporarily implemented until the complete blocking of larvae leakage from the Gangjeong Water Purification Plant is achieved.

For the western supply area of Seogwipo City, the backup water sources (about 9,000 tons/day) of Eoseungsaeng and Hoesu Water Purification Plants will be supplied to the supply areas of Gogeunsan and New Town reservoirs.

The Gogeunsan and New Town reservoir supply areas were originally supplied tap water via Hoesu Water Purification Plant and then Gangjeong Water Purification Plant.

The villages targeted for supply include Seohong-dong, Daeryun-dong, and Daecheon-dong.

For the eastern supply area of Seogwipo City, the backup water sources (about 12,000 tons/day) of Topyeong and Namwon Water Purification Plants will be utilized to expand supply to direct connection supply areas (such as Songsan-dong) that do not pass through Sammaebong reservoir and Tourist Complex 1 reservoir.

The Sammaebong reservoir system completed water system switching on the 26th, and other areas require additional emergency connection pipelines based on detailed supply capacity review, so pipeline construction will proceed.

The villages targeted for supply include Songsan-dong, Jeongbang-dong, Jungang-dong, Cheonji-dong, Hyodon-dong, Donghong-dong, and Jungmun-dong.

In particular, Jeju Province plans to thoroughly prepare by conducting rigorous pipeline inspections, sufficient pipeline cleaning, and water quality tests to prevent incidents such as rust water caused by sediment separation during the water system switching process.

Additionally, prior notifications and cooperation requests will be made to residents in areas where water system switching and pipeline construction are implemented to minimize inconvenience.

Going forward, Jeju Province will frequently perform forced pipeline drainage and reservoir cleaning to promptly remove any larvae remaining inside the pipelines to supply larvae-free tap water.

Second, while promoting phased water system switching, facility improvements and restoration for the normal operation of the Gangjeong Water Purification Plant will be undertaken.

Jeju Province plans to complete strengthened facility operation and management measures by mid-November to improve the water purification function of the aging Gangjeong Water Purification Plant, including enhanced total chlorine disinfection, filter media replacement, and intensified backwashing, to completely block larvae leakage from the plant.

After facility improvements are completed, thorough monitoring will be conducted to check for larvae presence, and after strict technical diagnosis by external experts or specialized institutions confirms complete larvae blocking, the plant will be restarted.

Jeju Province also plans to install precision filtration devices to prevent recurrence of larvae incidents and establish comprehensive improvement measures through technical diagnosis of all 17 water purification plants in the province, including Gangjeong.

Finally, Jeju Province will fully activate a public-private joint epidemiological investigation team composed of experts in zoology, ecotoxicology, water supply and sewage, water treatment, and entomology to accelerate investigation into the causes of larvae inflow into the water purification plant and preparation of recurrence prevention measures.