DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Environment & Climate

Nakdong River algal blooms cause foul-smelling tap water in Changwon; city criticized for delayed warning

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Residents in Changwon, South Korea, are complaining about an earthy, moldy smell in their tap water due to severe algal blooms in the Nakdong River.
  • The city has advised residents to boil water for at least three minutes until the algae situation stabilizes, a recommendation environmental groups criticize as delayed and insufficient.
  • Algal blooms, including the toxin-producing cyanobacteria Anabaena, have intensified in the Nakdong River, exceeding safety limits for odor-causing substances.

Tap water in Changwon, South Korea, has developed an unpleasant odor similar to soil or mold, prompting concerns among residents about the quality of their drinking water.

The odor-causing substance geosmin has increased due to the increase in blue-green algae in the raw water at the Chilseo Water Treatment Plant.

— Changwon CityIn a press release explaining the issue with tap water odor.

The issue stems from severe algal blooms, particularly cyanobacteria like Anabaena, in the Nakdong River, a primary water source for the city. These blooms produce geosmin, a substance that causes a strong earthy smell. The problem became noticeable around June 12, with some residents reporting difficulty cooking rice due to the smell.

Changwon City issued a recommendation on June 18 advising residents to boil their tap water for at least three minutes until the algal situation improves. This advice came after the odor-causing substance geosmin was detected in the water intake at the Chilseo Water Treatment Plant, exceeding the standard limit of 20 nanograms per liter by more than double on June 18. The Nakdong River Environmental Office has raised the algal bloom alert level from 'attention' to 'watch' for the Chilseo section, significantly earlier than last year.

We recommend boiling the tap water for more than 3 minutes until the algal situation stabilizes.

— Changwon CityAdvising residents on how to deal with the tap water odor.

Environmental groups, however, are criticizing the city's response as slow and inadequate. The Federation for Environmental Movements (Masan, Changwon, Jinhae) stated that the city failed to properly inform citizens about the severity of the situation, downplaying the issue. They argue that Changwon City has once again eroded public trust, similar to a previous incident involving tap water contamination in 2022.

Geosmin was detected starting June 8, but Changwon City only advised boiling water on the 18th, a delayed response.

— Im Hee-ja, co-chair of the Federation for Environmental Movements (Masan, Changwon, Jinhae)Criticizing the city's slow response to the tap water contamination issue.

City officials acknowledged that geosmin detection at the Chilseo plant was a first-time occurrence and stated that recent tests on June 22 showed no detection. They are reinforcing water treatment processes and preparing for potential reoccurrences as temperatures rise, which could exacerbate algal growth. Measures include installing algae barriers and enhancing purification processes at the water treatment plant.

This is the first time geosmin has been detected at the Chilseo Water Treatment Plant, and it was not detected in the most recent test on the 22nd.

— Changwon City officialResponding to criticism regarding the handling of the tap water odor issue.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog