Is Riverbed Filter Water the Solution for Daegu's Drinking Water? "Quality Improved to Andong Dam Level"

[Anchor]

Daegu's drinking water problem has remained unsolved for a long time. Riverbed filtrate, which filters water through the sand and gravel layers beneath the Nakdong River, may offer a solution. According to authorities' pilot test results on riverbed water, water quality has improved to a level comparable to that of Andong Dam.

TBC reporter Kim Yong-woo has the report.

[Reporter]

These are two large pilot tanks installed to verify the riverbed water intake method, which filters Nakdong River water through the riverbed strata.

After filtering Nakdong River water at a rate of over 30 tons per day for more than a month, the test showed that the water quality was maintained at a level comparable to that of Andong Dam.

Compared to raw Nakdong River water, total organic carbon (TOC) improved by 33 to 42 percent, and total phosphorus by 66 to 69 percent.

Microcystin, an algal toxin, also showed a clear improvement in water quality, recording Grade 1b, similar to Andong Dam water based on TOC standards.

Although it is still in the initial pilot stage, it has been diagnosed as significantly raising the possibility of securing an alternative water intake source.

The ultimate goal is to maintain the quality of riverbed water at the level of Andong and Paldang Dams based on TOC standards.

[Meng Seung-kyu, President of the Korean Society of Environmental Engineers: Not the current 2.7 (mg/L) of Andong Dam, but 10-year data, and Paldang is 2.1 (mg/L). So the TOC standards we are getting now are not bad.]

Pilot tests on 40 types of trace pollutants also began this month.

The core tasks include securing a volume and quality of over 600,000 tons per day, alongside systematic preparations to enhance public acceptance of the riverbed water intake method.

To apply the pilot test performance to the actual Nakdong River site, filtration volume will also be increased sequentially, and Daegu City's own verification procedures are expected to accelerate.

[Nam Gwang-hyun, Senior Research Fellow at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology / Daegu Policy Research Institute: How well we can understand the differences between the pilot test and the site conditions of the (Nakdong River), and whether we can reliably represent the field conditions as we verify...]

The results of this pilot test and the convening of the verification committee will be made public starting from August 6.

Attention is focused on whether scientific verification work can lead to a solution for drinking water that citizens can trust and drink safely.

(Video by Kim Do-yun TBC, Design by Kim Se-yoon TBC)

TBC Kim Yong-woo
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.