Yeongcheon City (Mayor Choi Ki-moon) announced on the afternoon of the 9th that manganese levels in tap water at the Yeongcheon water reservoir exceeded the standard of 0.05ppm, reaching 0.053ppm, and recommended refraining from drinking through safety alert messages.
At 12:14 AM on the 10th, a drinking ban was requested in some areas such as Wansan-dong and Geumnodong in Yeongcheon City, but the ban was lifted at 6 AM as water quality in the entire Yeongcheon area dropped below the contamination standard.
Manganese is known as an aesthetic contaminant that mainly affects the taste, odor, and turbidity of water without harming health. The detected excess amount meets the drinking water quality standard of 0.3ppm but exceeds the tap water quality standard of 0.05ppm.
On the 8th, Yeongcheon City requested the Korea Water Resources Corporation to change the intake pipe location of the intake tower at Yeongcheon Dam, the raw water source for Yeongcheon Water Purification Plant, due to a sudden increase in manganese concentration in the raw water. Since the 8th, chlorine treatment and drainage have lowered manganese levels below the tap water standard.
Yeongcheon City plans to conduct its own water quality tests every two hours and notify residents if manganese levels exceed the standard. Additionally, to prevent recurrence, the city will consult with the Korea Water Resources Corporation, which supplies the raw water, to identify the causes of the sudden rise in manganese concentration and discuss prevention measures.
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