Gimhae's Hanlim and Sammi villages will see an expansion in sewage treatment capacity by the end of the year.
As the inflow of sewage at existing facilities has reached 70-80% of their capacity, construction work is nearing completion, and both facilities have entered the comprehensive testing phase.
According to the Gimhae Urban Development Corporation, as of the end of August, the progress rate is 85.2% for the Hanlim public sewage treatment facility and 74.2% for the Sammi public sewage treatment facility.
Since August 24, comprehensive testing has been underway to verify the normal operation of mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation equipment, as well as the water treatment processes.
The Hanlim facility will increase its daily treatment capacity from 1,300㎥ to 1,800㎥, an increase of 500㎥. The Sammi facility will expand from 175㎥ to 265㎥, adding 90㎥.
The expansion is being undertaken to accommodate the growing population and increased sewage generation.
A facility operator stated, "Currently, Hanlim is processing sewage at about 85-90% of its existing capacity, while Sammi is handling 75-80% of its capacity."
Actual inflow levels vary depending on the season and rainfall.
The scale of the expansion also considers future increases in sewage generation. The construction team projects sewage treatment demand every five to ten years, and this expansion is being implemented with the necessary capacity for 2030 in mind.
The initiation of testing while the progress rate is still in the 70-80% range is due to the fact that testing is included in the overall construction schedule. Major mechanical and electrical installations have been completed, and remaining construction and testing are proceeding simultaneously.
A construction official explained, "Testing begins in a no-load state, followed by the introduction of clean water, and then actual sewage is gradually introduced to create a manageable processing state. This process will continue for about four months alongside the final construction work."
The comprehensive testing will continue until December 24. After checking the overall operation of mechanical, electrical, and water treatment processes, the facilities are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Currently, the quality of the discharged water is being managed at levels lower than the standards provided in the data.
According to discharge quality data obtained from the Gimhae Urban Development Corporation, the standards are BOD 5, TOC 15, SS 10, total nitrogen (T-N) 20, and total phosphorus (T-P) 0.3. The actual measured values are BOD 1.2, TOC 3.9, SS 2.1, T-N 6.037, and T-P 0.043, all of which fall below the specified standards.
The construction team noted that the current discharge is being managed at levels lower than the legal discharge quality standards, and with the increase in treatment capacity, they expect to have greater flexibility to respond to fluctuations in inflow.
This project was commissioned by the city of Gimhae, and after completion, the operation of the facilities will be managed by the Gimhae Urban Development Corporation. The construction team is also participating in the comprehensive testing to assess the overall operational status of the facilities.
A construction official stated, "With the increase in sewage treatment capacity from this expansion, we expect the burden of sewage treatment to decrease and the level of discharge quality management to improve. We will closely monitor the normal operation of the equipment through comprehensive testing and ensure stable operation after completion."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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