K-water to Step Up Pollution Checks Upstream of Dams, Weirs Ahead of Flood Season

Ahead of the summer flood season and the peak period for algal blooms, Korea Water Resources Corp. said it will strengthen management of pollution sources in watersheds upstream of dams and weirs nationwide. The agency said it aims to block pollutants from flowing into waterways through advance inspections and follow-up measures. 

K-water said Monday it will conduct on-site checks, tailored to local conditions and risk levels, focusing on locations with a high likelihood of pollutant inflow. These include livestock farms, stockpiles of compost and manure, construction sites, illegally dumped waste along rivers and areas where muddy runoff is likely. 

The agency said the need for preventive management has grown as rainfall increasingly concentrates in specific periods and regions, raising the risk that pollution sources upstream will be washed into rivers. It cited repeated cases in which heavy downpours carried pollutants into waterways in a short time, underscoring the importance of field inspections.

K-water said it will roll out step-by-step inspections and follow-up actions through November for watersheds upstream of 34 dams and 16 weirs. The plan includes advance checks, inspections before the flood season, and inspections during and after the flood season, followed by corrective measures.
 
It said it will also conduct joint inspections with related agencies, including regional environment offices and local governments.
 
For shortcomings found during inspections, K-water said it will provide on-site guidance and request corrective action so improvements can be made before the flood season. Follow-up steps will be tailored to each site, including installing covers over compost piles, reinforcing measures to reduce soil runoff from construction sites, and collecting trash and waste wood along riverbanks.

During the flood season, the agency said it will recheck whether measures have been carried out and will continue managing weak points through the period after the flood season. It also said it will inspect key water-environment response equipment in advance to maintain readiness, including algae-blocking barriers, surface aerators and algae-removal facilities.

K-water said it will systematically manage inspection results and continue pollution-reduction efforts through constant watershed monitoring and local cooperation, in addition to regular inspections.
 
Park Dong-hak, head of K-water's Environment Division, said preventing algal blooms requires managing pollution sources upstream in advance rather than removing blooms after they occur. He said the agency will strengthen field-based inspections and follow-up measures to ensure the public can feel safe about water-environment management.