▲ Pohang Hyeongsan River water intake well and intake information
Persistent heatwaves and drought are threatening the drinking water sources for Pohang citizens.
As a lack of rainfall lowered the water level of the Hyeongsan River and allowed seawater to flow upstream, the salinity of the intake source increased, leading to a series of complaints from residents reporting a salty taste in their tap water.
Consequently, the Pohang city government urgently changed its water intake source from the Hyeongsan River to the Yeongcheon Dam and Imha Dam to secure safe drinking water for citizens, while also launching a campaign to promote water conservation.
According to the Pohang city government on Tuesday (July 28), the city recently switched the water intake source for the Yugang Water Treatment Plant, which supplies tap water to the Nam-gu area, from the Hyeongsan River to the Yeongcheon Dam and Imha Dam.
This came after Nam-gu residents who use tap water from the Yugang Water Treatment Plant filed complaints on July 23 and 24 stating that their tap water tasted salty.
In response to the surge in complaints, the city initially reduced water intake from the Hyeongsan River before halting it altogether and switching to water from the Yeongcheon Dam and Imha Dam.
The salinity concentration at the Hyeongsan River intake source increased due to the recent lack of rainfall.
From July 1 to 28, the precipitation in the Pohang region stood at 41.0 mm, which is only 15% of the 262.8 mm recorded during the same period last year.
As a result, the water level of the Hyeongsan River dropped, and the amount of seawater flowing upstream relatively increased, raising the salinity around the intake well near the Hyeongsan River.
The intake well, which collects water to be used as drinking water, is located along the Hyeongsan River in Yeonil-eup, Nam-gu, Pohang, about 8 km away from the sea.
Since the monsoon season has effectively ended and heavy rain is difficult to expect, the city plans to launch a water-saving campaign moving forward.
A city official explained, "We switched our water intake source to dam water due to complaints about a salty taste. While the situation is fine for now, problems could arise in the future, so we plan to promote water conservation."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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