Seoul City to Commission 31 Service Projects in Water Environment Sector This Year

Encouraging Participation of Competitive Companies Through Advance Notice of Order Timing and Budget

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 21st that it will commission 31 service projects to strengthen water quality management and create a pleasant sewage environment. This aims to actively raise awareness of the importance of rivers and sewage management closely related to citizens' lives and to encourage participation from specialized companies.

This year, the Water Circulation Safety Bureau of Seoul will commission services totaling ▲ 17 technical services worth 11.482 billion KRW ▲ 1 academic service worth 120 million KRW ▲ 1 combined technical and academic service worth 300 million KRW ▲ 7 informatization services worth 12.285 billion KRW ▲ 5 general services worth 493 million KRW, with a total project cost of 24.68 billion KRW. All bidding announcements are planned to be completed by January to February.

Seoul is accelerating the commissioning of the “Basic Plan Establishment for CSOs Storage Tanks (2 locations)” service this year. To solve the problem of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) containing high-concentration pollutants discharged into rivers due to rainwater mixed with sewage during rainfall, a basic plan strategy will be devised to expand the installation of CSOs storage tanks within Ttukseom and Daechi retention basins.

Additionally, the “Groundwater Auxiliary Monitoring Network Management Improvement” service, which is implemented annually in three autonomous districts on a rolling basis, will also be promoted. This year, Jongno, Eunpyeong, and Seodaemun districts will be targeted to rationally improve the groundwater monitoring infrastructure by balancing the distribution of groundwater observation points and expanding dedicated observation points. Furthermore, plans will be made to establish groundwater conservation and management measures in response to increased underground space development centered on large-scale excavation sites.

The annual “Soil Pollution Status Survey” will also be commissioned this year. A total of 340 concern areas will be selected for soil sampling and contamination testing.

In the sewage pipeline sector, the scope of projects will be expanded to river water quality management to minimize CSOs, which overflow into rivers when rainwater mixes with sewage during rainfall. The “Basic and Detailed Design for Danghyeoncheon Water Quality Improvement Facility Maintenance” service to be commissioned this year will consider installing simple treatment facilities at points where sewage pipelines meet rivers to reduce the pollution concentration of CSOs discharged into rivers during rainfall.

In addition, the “Nanji Treatment Area Public Sewage Pipeline Technical Diagnosis” project will be conducted to comprehensively inspect the function and safety of sewage pipelines. The main contents include evaluation of operational and management status such as sewage discharge capacity, odor control capability, and structural risks, and based on the evaluation results, effective sewage pipeline maintenance plans will be derived.

There are a total of four technical services related to water reclamation centers awaiting commissioning. First, the “Basic and Detailed Design for Efficiency Improvement of Water Reclamation Center Digestion Tanks” service aims to reduce the amount of sewage sludge and increase biogas production by changing the existing gas-type agitator to pump-type and mechanical agitator methods to compare efficiency, with completion planned by July. The “Calculation of Rainwater Treatment Costs at Water Reclamation Centers” service will calculate the proportion of rainwater in sewage treated at water reclamation centers and the associated costs.

Services related to water reclamation centers such as the “Establishment of Improvement Plans for Air Pollutant Emission Facilities” and the “Establishment of Operation Efficiency and Performance Improvement Plans for Mechanical Equipment” are also scheduled for commissioning. For disaster safety-related technical services, the “Analysis and Evaluation Service for Natural Disaster Risk Improvement District Maintenance Projects” will analyze and evaluate the conditions of three locations?Sinwol, Sinjeong, and Hwagok?after disaster risk district maintenance projects, and the “2021 Local River Embankment Precision Inspection Service” will conduct safety inspections of embankments and river facilities at 28 local river sites including Hongjecheon.

This year, to prepare in advance for heavy rainfall, Seoul will also commission the “Development of Technology for Producing Urban Flooding Risk Information in Seoul” service, which calculates areas expected to flood based on rainfall of 60mm or more in Seoul and hourly intervals (30, 60, 90, 120 minutes). The “Basic River Plan for Banpocheon and Sadangcheon” and the “Calculation of Criteria for Issuing River Flood Warnings” services are also planned for commissioning.

Choi Jin-seok, Director of the Water Circulation Safety Bureau of Seoul, said, “This year, we are focusing on establishing policies that are highly perceptible by carefully reflecting and reviewing urban condition changes as part of creating new standards to respond to the climate crisis.” He added, “We expect that many competent service providers with abundant experience and technical skills will participate and contribute to creating a safer and healthier water circulation city.”