Changwon Special City: "Tap Water Consumed by Citizens is Safe and the Best"

‘Cheongasu’, ISO 22000 International Certification Acquired

Citizens of Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam can now drink tap water without worry.

Changwon Special City announced on the 26th that it has obtained ISO 22000 (Food Safety Management System) certification for Changwon City's tap water, "Cheongasu."

Gyeongnam Changwon Special City has obtained ISO 22000 (Food Safety Management System) certification for Changwon City's tap water "Cheongasu."

The facilities that acquired the ISO 22000 international certification this time are three of the four water purification plants managed by Changwon City: Seokdong, Daesan, and Myeon plants.

The Waterworks Office explained that through obtaining this international certification, it has proven that it manages and supplies safe and clean tap water to citizens at a level equivalent to food standards.

ISO 22000 is an international standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for Food Safety Management Systems. It is an international standard that regulates the effective management of hazards that may occur at each stage of food raw material production, manufacturing, processing, preservation, and distribution.

To supply citizens with clean and high-quality tap water, the city began a project last November to obtain ISO 22000 certification for Daesan, Bukmyeon, and Seokdong purification plants. It established standard documents such as operation manuals, procedures, and records for the purification plants and faithfully fulfilled the requirements for certification acquisition, including applying the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system to each purification plant.

The certification audit was conducted by the Korea Management Registrar (KMR), an ISO certification body, at the end of March. As a result of the audit, the city obtained ISO 22000 certification on the 10th and received the ISO 22000 certificate from KMR on the 26th.

To improve water purification process facilities, since last year, the city has invested a total project cost of 5.7 billion KRW in the Seokdong purification plant to carry out projects such as ▲improving insect-proof and sanitary facilities from the intake well to the clear water reservoir ▲upgrading rapid and activated carbon filtration facilities ▲establishing a response system for small organisms ▲technical diagnosis of ozone facilities ▲improving backwash water supply facilities for filters ▲expanding discharge treatment facilities for recovery tanks. In addition, the city plans to continue additional purification facility improvement projects and post-management following the acquisition of ISO 22000 certification.

Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, said, “Following the Seokdong tap water larvae incident in July last year, all employees have made their best efforts to supply safe and clean tap water to citizens.” He added, “This ISO 22000 certification confirms that Changwon City's tap water 'Cheongasu' is strictly managed at a food-grade level before being provided to each household, and it will meet citizens' expectations for safe tap water supply.”