Tap water in Busan smells like mold…water purification is not working properly
A substance that causes a moldy odor has been detected in tap water supplied by the Hwamyeong Water Treatment Plant in Busan. It was confirmed that the construction work to replace the old facilities at the Hwamyeong Water Treatment Plant did not completely remove the blue-green algae in the mainstream of the Nakdong River.
According to the Busan City Water Supply Business Division on the 9th, ‘geosmin,’ an odor-causing substance, was detected above the standard in tap water supplied by the Hwamyeong Purification Plant. Geosmin is a taste- and odor-causing substance produced by blue-green algae such as Oscillatoria, and is designated as a monitoring item for food by the Ministry of Environment. The monitoring standard of the Ministry of Environment is 0.02㎍/L, but 0.053㎍/L was detected in the area, which exceeds the standard. As a result, the city has received a number of complaints since this morning that the tap water in areas such as Buk-gu, Yeonje-gu, Nam-gu, Haeundae-gu, and Suyeong-gu in Busan smells of earthy and moldy odors.
According to the headquarters, Hwamyeong Water Treatment Plant has been conducting advanced water treatment improvement work since the 8th of this month. The city’s water treatment process involves 10 stages, and it is understood that the construction work omitted the second stage of the water purification process, which did not remove the odorous substances. The headquarters recognized the seriousness of the situation and suspended the advanced water treatment improvement project to resolve the problem.
The KEPCO believes that the situation was caused by the intensification of the algae bloom in the Nakdong River in conjunction with the construction of the Hwamyeong Water Treatment Plant. Currently, no algae warning has been issued for the Mulgeum and Mary areas of the Nakdong River, the source of Busan’s water intake, but the number of harmful blue-green algae has been gradually increasing, with 1154 cells/mL detected in the second week of June토토사이트. “It is believed that it was detected in the tap water because it was not completely removed by the water treatment process due to the construction period overlapping with the time when the blue-green algae changed to the dominant species,” said an official from the headquarters. “Geosmin, an odor-causing substance, is not harmful to humans, but it can cause unpleasant sensations when drinking tap water, so it is recommended to boil it for at least three minutes.”
Until the problem is resolved, the department plans to increase the ozone input concentration and start up a powdered activated carbon input facility. It plans to strengthen the water purification process by injecting carbon dioxide and adding high-efficiency flocculants. An official from the headquarters said, “Currently, the replacement work has been suspended, and we believe that the odor problem will be solved by going through the water purification process again from the afternoon of the 10th.”
In this situation, it is also pointed out that Busan’s response is ‘backward’. Despite receiving numerous complaints from the morning, the city did not send out a disaster text until late in the afternoon. Kim Mo, 32, a resident of Hwamyeong-dong, Buk-gu, Busan, said, “I was about to give my child a bath when I realized that the smell of the tap water was different from usual. I found out about the tap water problem from an apartment broadcast in the evening.” “Even so, anxiety about Busan tap water is high due to the algae bloom in the Nakdong River, so why should the speed of notifying the tap water accident be slower than the apartment broadcast?” he said.
Song Sam-jong, head of the Busan City Water Supply Business Division, said, “I am very sorry that the tap water has caused citizens to be worried, and I will do my best to resolve the problem as soon as possible. The advanced water treatment improvement project, which was completely suspended, will be resumed after the water purification process is stabilized.”