Yongin City Promotes Water Quality Improvement of Wangi Stream Flowing into Giheung Lake

Water Quality Deterioration Due to Inflow of Domestic Wastewater in Singal Old Downtown
'Integrated Concentrated Pollution Stream Improvement Project' to be Announced

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 2nd that it will promote a water quality improvement project for 'Wangicheon,' a tributary of Singalcheon flowing into Giheung Lake.

Wangicheon is a 2.8 km small stream that starts near 535-4, Singal-dong, Giheung-gu, close to the Singal Junction of the Gyeongbu and Yeongdong Expressways, and flows into Singalcheon. Due to domestic sewage inflow from densely populated residential and commercial areas in the middle and lower reaches of the stream, foul odors and algal blooms have occurred, highlighting the urgent need for water quality improvement.

Wanggi Stream, where Yongin City is launching a full-scale water quality improvement project. This stream urgently needs water quality improvement due to the inflow of sewage from residential and commercial areas.
[Photo by Yongin City]

Last August, the city was selected as a target site for the Ministry of Environment’s 'Polluted Stream Watershed Diagnosis' contest and is currently conducting a watershed diagnosis service, the preliminary step for designating a 'polluted stream,' by investing 120 million KRW in national funds to improve water quality. According to the Ministry of Environment’s guidelines for improving polluted streams, a watershed diagnosis is mandatory to receive the designation of a 'polluted stream' for water quality improvement.

The preliminary diagnosis rated Wangicheon as Grade 4. Accordingly, last month, the city discussed issues related to water quality, flow, and aquatic ecology of Wangicheon and water quality improvement measures with experts from the Korea Environment Corporation and the Korean Society of Water Environment. At the meeting, experts pointed out the need to install reduction facilities to block non-point source pollution inflow and manage private sewage treatment facilities to prevent sewage discharge. The necessity of securing sufficient flow and linking ecological restoration projects also emerged.

The city plans to complete the watershed diagnosis service by August and apply for the Ministry of Environment’s 'Integrated Concentrated Polluted Stream Improvement Project' contest in the first half of next year. The city expects that if Wangicheon is designated as a polluted stream, it will be included in the national priority support projects for five years, enabling full-scale water quality improvement projects.

A city official said, "Wangicheon, which passes through the old Singal downtown area, is deteriorating in water quality due to insufficient sewage pipes and drainage facilities, so improvement is urgent," adding, "To improve water quality and restore ecology, it is necessary to link with residential maintenance plans and basic river plans, so we will seek a comprehensive city-level countermeasure."