Pyeongtaek City: "Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek Contaminated Water Hazardous Substance Concentrations Below Standard Levels"

Processing 35,000 Tons of Contaminated Water as of the 24th

On the 9th, during the firefighting process at a hazardous material storage facility located in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, it was found that 35,000 tons out of an estimated 50,000 tons of contaminated water leaked into a nearby management stream have been treated.

On the 25th, Pyeongtaek City explained in a press briefing that the inspection results by the Han River Basin Environmental Office, Korea Environment Corporation, and Gyeonggi-do Health and Environment Research Institute for nine contaminated points showed that the concentration of specific water quality hazardous substances was within the discharge permit standards. Additionally, according to the Ministry of Environment's announcement, the ecological toxicity, which initially reached 16 TU at the early stage of the accident, has decreased to 0.0?1.2 TU, satisfying the discharge permit standard of 2 TU.

Officials from Pyeongtaek City are inspecting the status of contaminated water treatment leaked from the Hwaseong hazardous materials storage office.
[Photo by Pyeongtaek City]

In this regard, Pyeongtaek City collected and treated high-concentration contaminated water immediately after the accident by mobilizing wastewater consignment companies, and currently has secured 15 public sewage and wastewater treatment plants to process the contaminated water. As of the 24th, the amount of river contaminated water treated by Pyeongtaek City is approximately 35,000 tons.

However, despite the water quality improvement, the management stream still shows a bluish tint, and citizens' concerns about soil and groundwater contamination remain.

The city also announced plans to secure funding for accident recovery. In addition to the Gyeonggi-do Emergency Disaster Management Fund received on the 18th, the city plans to secure additional restoration costs by obtaining special grants from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and will continue to consult with related agencies to have Cheongbuk-eup and Oseong-myeon, the contaminated areas, declared as 'special disaster zones.'

Jung Jang-seon, mayor of Pyeongtaek City, said, "Pyeongtaek City will do its best to ensure that citizens can enjoy a safe daily life through thorough verification."