'Money-Eating Hippo' Gwanggyo and Pajang Water Purification Plants Under Review for Consolidation

Suwon City is undertaking a management and financial analysis on water purification plant operations, including the consolidation of the Gwanggyo and Pajang water purification plants, which have long been dubbed the ‘money-eating hippo’ and sparked controversy.

According to the Suwon Water Supply Project Office on the 13th, the city is promoting the introduction of an advanced water purification facility worth 2 billion won due to the frequent occurrence of algae that causes odor in the Gwanggyo Water Purification Plant. The advanced water purification facility is a device that filters out taste and odor compounds, water discoloration, and ammonia nitrogen that cannot be addressed through standard purification methods via ozone (oxidation) and GAC (granular activated carbon filtration) treatment processes.

However, before introducing the facility, the city plans to first pursue a management and financial analysis project on water purification plant operations and decide on the introduction of advanced treatment facilities based on the analysis results. The management and financial analysis project is expected to focus on the consolidation of the Gwanggyo Water Purification Plant (catchment area 10.8㎢, daily supply 50,000 tons) and Pajang Water Purification Plant (1.44㎢, 50,000 tons), as well as the management conditions resulting from plant operations.

In particular, the plan to maintain the Gwanggyo Water Purification Plant, which has favorable conditions, and close the Pajang Water Purification Plant, as well as the plan to integrate the two plants, are expected to be reviewed as leading options. Since a certain amount of emergency water supply must be secured, closing both plants is practically impossible.

Currently, a total of 620,000 tons of tap water is supplied daily in the Suwon area, of which 80,000 tons of raw water is purchased from the Paldang Water Source, purified at the Gwanggyo and Pajang water purification plants, and then supplied.

However, although water purification plants are operated to secure water supply sources in preparation for emergencies such as war, with facilities over 35 years old, tens of billions of won in budget are spent annually on repair costs alone.

Therefore, the Urban Construction Committee of the Suwon City Council has consistently raised the issue of ‘water purification plant consolidation’ during annual administrative inspections of the water supply project office, noting the enormous maintenance costs involved in plant operations.

Kim Hyo-soo, chairperson of the Urban Construction Committee, stated, “There is only a 23 won difference per ton between the cost of purchasing and supplying raw water and the cost of purchasing and supplying purified water,” adding, “Considering the annual maintenance costs such as repairs, we need to carefully review whether there is a need to operate water purification plants.”

The water supply project office plans to award the management and financial analysis project this month and, if the analysis results come out in early next year, reflect them in the water supply improvement basic plan.

Yeom Soon-yeol, head of the Production Division at the Water Supply Project Office, said, “The Suwon City Water Supply Improvement Basic Plan is set to close the Pajang Water Purification Plant in 2015,” adding, “Regardless of what results this project yields, from a long-term perspective, it is cheaper for the city to directly purify and supply water than to purchase purified water.”