The Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office under the Ministry of Environment announced that the 'Attention Level' algae alert issued for Juamho Reservoir has been fully lifted, starting from the Sinpyeonggyo Bridge point on the 11th and extending to the area in front of the dam on the 18th. This marks the first algae alert at Juamho Reservoir in 14 years since 2011.
A panoramic view of Juamho Lake with dense green algae blooms. Provided by the Yeongsan River Basin Environmental Office
This year, the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions experienced 29.6 days of heat waves, a significant increase compared to the average of 22.3 days, and frequent localized heavy rainfall. Due to these weather conditions, an algae alert was issued for Juamho Reservoir in August. In response, the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office removed floating debris from the water surface, expanded water circulation devices, and deployed algae removal lines. As a result, the algae cell count dropped below 1,000 cells for two consecutive measurements within four weeks.
Water purification plants supplied by Juamho Reservoir were already equipped with odor removal devices, and following the alert, the frequency of water quality tests was increased from once a month to once a week. As a result, there were no reported cases of tap water damage during the algae alert period.
The environmental office plans to designate Juamho Reservoir and the upper Yeongsangang River as priority areas for green algae management and to implement fundamental reduction measures. In the short term, it will strengthen management of pollution sources such as livestock manure facilities and individual sewage treatment facilities, as well as reduce non-point source pollution from farmland. In the medium and long term, the office will promote the conversion of livestock manure facilities to energy production, expand sewage treatment facilities, and strengthen effluent water quality standards.
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