Busan City Temporarily Bans Nakdong River Water Activities... Algae Alert Issued for Recreational Areas

Water Leisure Activities, Fishing, and Harvesting or Consuming Shellfish Prohibited

The city of Busan (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced that water-friendly activities are prohibited in the designated section of the Nakdong River following the issuance of an algal bloom alert.

Algal bloom warning issued for the Nakdong River waterfront area.

Since June, the city has been operating a pilot algal bloom alert system at Samnak and Hwamyeong Water Leisure Towns to ensure the safety of citizens engaging in water activities.

On August 29, an 'Attention' level algal bloom alert was issued at Samnak and Hwamyeong Water Leisure Towns, and on September 5, a 'Caution' level alert was issued at Hwamyeong Water Leisure Town.

According to measurements of algal cell counts on August 26 and September 2, Samnak Water Leisure Town recorded 82,473 and 1,269,947 cells per ml, respectively, exceeding the 'Attention' alert threshold of 20,000 cells per ml for two consecutive measurements.

At Hwamyeong Water Leisure Town, the algal cell counts were 113,077 and 469,747 cells per ml, respectively, surpassing the 'Caution' alert threshold of 100,000 cells per ml for two consecutive measurements.

The city plans to continue the prohibition of water-friendly activities for the time being, as environmental conditions conducive to algal blooms, such as high water temperatures due to the late summer heat and low rainfall, persist in September.

Upon re-measuring the algal cell counts on September 9, the city confirmed that Samnak and Hwamyeong recorded 77,242 and 44,787 cells per ml, respectively, showing a slight decrease compared to previous measurements. However, for the safety of citizens, a temporary ban on water-friendly activities was decided.

Citizens are prohibited from engaging in water leisure activities, fishing, and collecting or consuming shellfish within the water-friendly zones. The city plans to strengthen public awareness and guidance through banners, public announcements, and on-site patrols.

Lee Byungseok, Director of the Environmental Water Policy Office, stated, "For your health and safety, we ask all citizens to actively cooperate by refraining from water-friendly activities and collecting or consuming shellfish around Samnak and Hwamyeong Water Leisure Towns until the algal bloom alert is lifted. We will review the resumption of operations after monitoring future trends in algal cell counts."