Ganghwa County Promotes Legalization of Illegal Groundwater Facilities

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Shin Eun-seop] Ganghwa County announced on the 8th that it is promoting the legalization of illegal groundwater facilities to prevent groundwater contamination and implement systematic management.

Accordingly, the county is operating a "Voluntary Report Period for Unregistered Groundwater Facility Development and Use" until the 3rd of next month for groundwater facilities that have been indiscriminately developed and illegally used without reporting or permitting procedures prior to the enactment of the Groundwater Act.

Targets for voluntary reporting are facilities that develop and illegally use groundwater without undergoing permission or reporting in accordance with the Groundwater Act.

Unregistered groundwater owners and users can submit required documents such as groundwater development and use report forms to the County Office's Construction Division (Construction Administration Team) or eup/myeon offices within the deadline, after which legalization will be completed following review and approval of relevant regulations.

In particular, to encourage voluntary reporting of illegal groundwater, the registration procedures for voluntary reporting have been significantly simplified, and those who voluntarily report during this period will be exempt from penalties and fines. Additionally, for groundwater development and use reports, exemptions are provided for the mandatory performance bond payment, water quality testing, facility installation drawings, and completion reports.

A county official stated, "After the voluntary reporting period, we plan to take strict measures through fines and administrative penalties," and added, "Since we are significantly simplifying the registration procedures during this voluntary reporting period, we encourage you to voluntarily report within the deadline to avoid disadvantages."