Industrial Complex Begins Thorough Cause Investigation and Environmental Improvement
Microbial Testing Requested, Cause of Occurrence Investigation Initiated
At the Jinhae National Sports Center swimming pool in Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, microorganisms of unknown origin were discovered, leading to a temporary closure starting from the 19th.
At around 6 p.m. that day, a swimming instructor found three microorganisms of unknown origin in the children's pool at the Jinhae National Sports Center swimming pool.
Immediately after the microorganisms were discovered, the center drained the children's pool and removed the children, collected samples of the microorganisms, and also drained the main pool members.
The corporation activated the swimming pool water quality management manual and proactively decided on a temporary closure to ensure public safety.
Accordingly, the corporation promptly posted a notice about the temporary closure at the swimming pool entrance and informed customers through text messages and announcements on the website.
The corporation formed a task force and held an on-site countermeasure meeting that night at the Jinhae National Sports Center office, chaired by the task force leader (Facility Headquarters Director), with safety-related department heads attending to discuss future measures.
The corporation's safety team also conducted inspections of major facilities such as insect screens, filters, and sedimentation tanks that day, but no microorganisms were found. The collected microorganisms were sent to the National Institute of Biological Resources located in Incheon for testing.
On the morning of the 20th, the corporation urgently convened the Swimming Pool Water Quality Management Council, established last year, to inspect the route of microorganism inflow, causes of occurrence, and the condition of water quality management equipment.
The Water Quality Management Council consists of eight members, including water quality management experts, related organizations, civic groups, and relevant public officials.
Additionally, the Changwon City Water Quality Research Center and K-water jointly conducted water quality inspections.
The cause of the microorganism occurrence is presumed to be the inflow of adult insects about a month ago due to elevator construction, and the city’s tap water was found to have no issues.
The corporation plans to begin draining the swimming pools and water tanks as soon as the on-site investigation is completed, followed by cleaning the pools and depth control plates and conducting special disinfection as part of a large-scale environmental improvement effort.
Along with thorough identification of the cause, the corporation will conduct special inspections of all swimming pools under its jurisdiction to alleviate public concerns.
In particular, the corporation aims to complete the environmental improvement work promptly within the year to minimize inconvenience to customers and reopen the facility as soon as possible.
Chairman Kim Jonghae stated, “We will transparently provide information related to the microorganism occurrence through the website and SNS, prepare more detailed prevention measures, and do our utmost to ensure the safety of swimming pool water quality.”
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