[Exclusive] Wastewater Regulations Blocking Agro-Industrial Complexes Eased After 26 Years

Entry Restrictions for Agro-Industrial Complexes Based Solely on Wastewater Discharge
Exceptions Added: Permitted if Water Quality Standards Are Met

Yonhap News Agency

The Ministry of Environment is easing wastewater regulations for agro-industrial complexes for the first time in 26 years. The plan is to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses and encourage more companies to move in by relaxing the strict wastewater discharge limits that have been applied exclusively to agro-industrial complexes.

According to an Asia Economy report on April 30, the Ministry of Environment is preparing a revision to the "Integrated Guidelines for the Development and Operation of Agro-Industrial Complexes" (Agro-Industrial Complex Guidelines) that includes these changes. The inter-ministerial consultation process has been completed, and the revised guidelines are expected to be officially announced as early as the beginning of next month.

The proposed revision includes a relaxation of the daily wastewater discharge limits for agro-industrial complexes. Under current law, only businesses that generate less than 2,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day are allowed to move into agro-industrial complexes. The Ministry of Environment now plans to allow companies to move in even if their wastewater volume exceeds this limit, as long as they meet certain water quality standards. Companies will be permitted to either discharge and treat their wastewater at public wastewater treatment facilities or ensure that the quality of their treated wastewater meets the discharge standards required for public wastewater treatment facilities.

This is the first revision in about 26 years. When the Agro-Industrial Complex Guidelines were first established in 1991, the daily wastewater limit was only 1,000 cubic meters. However, this strict limit resulted in only small businesses moving into agro-industrial complexes, while medium-sized companies were unable to do so. In response, the limit was raised to 2,000 cubic meters in 1999, and this standard has remained in place until now.

The government explained that this measure is intended to ensure fairness with other industrial complexes. Companies in other industrial complexes can be exempted from regulations if they use their own wastewater treatment facilities instead of public ones. In contrast, companies in agro-industrial complexes must use public wastewater treatment facilities to be exempted from the discharge volume regulations. This means that, uniquely, agro-industrial complexes do not recognize voluntarily treated wastewater by companies and prohibit such businesses from moving in altogether.

There are also practical issues. There are a total of 476 agro-industrial complexes nationwide, with 7,889 companies operating within them. However, as of 2022, only 98 agro-industrial complexes have public wastewater treatment facilities. This means that about 80% of all agro-industrial complexes must rely on voluntary wastewater treatment by companies, as public facilities are not available. Since it is difficult to expand public wastewater treatment facilities immediately, the Ministry of Environment intends to include individual company wastewater treatment as an exception.

The Ministry of Environment stated, "We have taken into account the circumstances of local governments, the wastewater treatment capabilities of individual businesses, and the need for regulatory fairness," adding, "We have rationalized the restrictions on business entry to the extent that it does not negatively impact the preservation of water environments in rural areas."