Expansion of New City Water Purification Plant
Joint Efforts with Busan City for Regional Water Intake Facility
Yangsan City in South Gyeongsang Province is accelerating the expansion of its water supply infrastructure in response to the increasingly severe algal bloom problem in the Nakdong River.
The city plans to increase the capacity of the New City Water Purification Plant, which currently operates at 38,000 tons per day, by an additional 57,000 tons to reach a total of 95,000 tons per day by 2027. Yangsan is also making every effort, in collaboration with Busan City, to construct a regional water intake facility.
The ongoing expansion project at the New City Water Purification Plant will newly introduce a powdered activated carbon (PAC) treatment process, which was not available in the existing facility. Powdered activated carbon effectively adsorbs and removes algal toxins and odor-causing substances during the purification process, significantly enhancing the performance of the advanced water treatment facility.
This is expected to improve the taste and odor of tap water even during the intensified algal blooms of the summer months, ensuring a safe and reliable water supply for residents.
Additionally, Yangsan City is working jointly with Busan City to build a large-scale regional water intake tower to secure a stable supply of raw water despite algal blooms. Analysis shows that the number of harmful cyanobacteria cells is reduced by 30% at 1 meter below the surface, 75% at 8 meters, and over 90% at 10 meters. Once the regional intake tower is completed in 2027, it is expected that selective water intake at different depths (1m, 5m, 10m) will greatly reduce the impact of recurring algal blooms during the summer season each year.
In particular, on September 1, Mayor Na Dongyeon personally visited the expansion site of the New City Water Purification Plant to inspect the progress, demonstrating his keen interest in the project.
Mayor Na Dongyeon inspecting the expansion site of the new city water purification plant. Provided by Yangsan City
Mayor Na stated, "The health and safety of our citizens must always be the top priority under any circumstances," and added, "We will ensure the expansion of the purification plant and the collaborative regional water intake facility project with Busan City proceed without any setbacks."
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