From Next Year, 50% Reduction in Sewer Charges When Using Discharged Groundwater

Amendment and Promulgation of 'Seoul Sewerage Usage Ordinance' Allowing Reductions for Road Cleaning, Effective January 1, 2022
24 Million Tons of Discharged Groundwater into Sewers Annually... Expected Reduction in Sewerage Fees and Treatment Costs

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Starting next year, if 'discharged groundwater' is used for various purposes such as road cleaning, park water features, and heating and cooling, sewerage fees can be reduced by 50%.

On the 5th, Seoul City announced that it amended and promulgated the Seoul Metropolitan Sewerage Usage Ordinance on September 30, and will begin fee reductions nationwide for the first time starting January 1 next year. The reduction targets discharged groundwater used for firefighting, cleaning, landscaping, construction, restroom, park, and heating and cooling purposes according to the Enforcement Decree of the Groundwater Act, as well as discharged groundwater that is finally discharged into rivers through stormwater pipes in separated sewer systems.

'Discharged groundwater' refers to groundwater that naturally flows out during the construction of buildings or underground space development such as subway construction. In Seoul, 24 million tons of discharged groundwater are discarded into the sewer system every year without being utilized. If this discharged groundwater were utilized instead of discarded, it could save 25.9 billion KRW annually in sewage treatment costs and 9.6 billion KRW annually in sewerage fees.

Seoul City explained, "The amount of groundwater discharged due to large-scale underground development has increased by 18% compared to 10 years ago," adding, "Discharged groundwater with good water quality that does not require purification treatment flows into water reclamation centers (sewage treatment plants), increasing the burden of sewage treatment and causing unnecessary budget waste."

Accordingly, Seoul City expects that the ordinance amendment will lead to active utilization of discharged groundwater in large-scale private buildings such as apartment complexes, where utilization rates have been low due to lack of benefits despite the use of discharged groundwater for cleaning, heating and cooling, and landscaping.

Furthermore, Seoul City has been consulting on feasibility studies for economic analysis regarding utilization methods and facility installation to increase the use of large amounts of discharged groundwater from private buildings. The target buildings are those generating more than 500 tons of discharged groundwater per day, located near rivers, and willing to invest budgets, with the city, autonomous districts, and building owners jointly cooperating to promote the initiative.

As a result of reviewing the feasibility of utilizing discharged groundwater generated at the Songpa Heliocity apartment complex in Seoul, it was analyzed that if a new pipeline is installed to send discharged groundwater, which was previously discarded into the sewer, to the nearby Tancheon Stream, the annual discharged groundwater fee of 155 million KRW currently imposed can be reduced by 80 million KRW, and Seoul City can save 420 million KRW annually in sewage treatment costs.

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In addition, Seoul City has prepared and distributed a discharged groundwater utilization guideline that provides guidance on utilization methods from the early planning stages of projects involving underground excavation. The guideline details precautions to consider when establishing utilization plans by purpose according to the amount of discharged groundwater and surrounding location.

Han Yoo-seok, Director of the Water Circulation Safety Bureau of Seoul City, said, "Utilizing discharged groundwater is an essential project in response to the climate crisis, and we will actively promote policies to ensure that clean groundwater is not discarded into the sewer," adding, "We also ask citizens to participate and make sure to take advantage of the fee reduction benefits."