'Seonam Muljaesaeng Center' Reduces Pollution Sources by 92% and Begins Full Operation... Jungnang, Tancheon, and Nanji Centers to Be Completed Sequentially

First Operation Among Four Seonam Water Reuse Centers, Pilot Run of Total Phosphorus Treatment Facility Completed

Overview of the Total Phosphorus Treatment Facility at Seonam Water Reclamation Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seonam Water Reclamation Center, which manages sewage on the west side of the Han River including Dongjak-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, and Gwanak-gu, has completed the pilot operation of its Total Phosphorus (T-P) treatment facility and will begin full-scale operation starting in May. This is the first of the four water reclamation centers to become operational.

On the 18th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that with the establishment and operation of the Total Phosphorus (T-P) treatment facility at the Seonam Water Reclamation Center starting this year, clean and stable water quality management has become possible. This is because major pollutants can now be discharged at about 92% lower levels compared to the legal water quality standards.

According to the results of the pilot operation at the Seonam Water Reclamation Center from January to April, the concentration of the pollutant 'Total Phosphorus' was between 0.024 and 0.052 mg/L, which is 92.4% lower than the legal standard (0.5 mg/L). This corresponds to a good grade (0.038 mg/L) under the living environment standards for river water. Until now, Seoul had removed total phosphorus by adding coagulants in the biological reaction tank due to the absence of a dedicated total phosphorus treatment facility. Although purification was possible within the legal water quality standard (total phosphorus below 0.5 mg/L), the total phosphorus treatment facility was installed to effectively remove total phosphorus and strengthen water quality improvement.

Since the Seonam Water Reclamation Center started operating its total phosphorus treatment facility first, Seoul is focusing on installing Total Phosphorus (T-P) treatment facilities at the remaining three water reclamation centers: Jungnang, Tancheon, and Nanji. Installation is planned to be completed sequentially with Jungnang in May this year, Tancheon in August, and Nanji in June 2023.

Seoul has been promoting the installation of total phosphorus treatment facilities at the four water reclamation centers?Seonam, Jungnang, Tancheon, and Nanji?since 2015 to treat discharged water more clearly and safely.

Once the Total Phosphorus (T-P) treatment facilities are completed at the four water reclamation centers?Jungnang, Seonam, Tancheon, and Nanji?2.04 million tons of sewage per day will be purified and discharged cleanly, significantly improving the water quality of the Han River. The total investment cost is 234.9 billion KRW.

Choi Jin-seok, Director of the Water Circulation Safety Bureau of Seoul, said, “Once the installation of total phosphorus treatment facilities at the four water reclamation centers is completed, the first phase of the project will be finished, where 50% of Seoul’s sewage volume undergoes tertiary treatment. Since the total phosphorus treatment facility has a significant effect on water quality improvement, we plan to promptly start the second phase project to treat 100% of the sewage.”