A New Waterway Will Flow through the Chungcheongnam Region

On December 1, 2021, the opening ceremony of the “South Chungcheong Province Water Supply” was held at the Cheonan Water Purification Plant with Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom, Minister of Environment Han Jeoung Ae, Chungcheongnam Governor Yang Seung-Jo, and K-water CEO Park Jae-Hyeon in attendance. As an industrial-economic center, the west-north region of Chungcheongnam-do is home to the Seongmun National Industrial Complex, Dunpo Industrial Complex, Seohae Industrial Complex, and Cheonan Techno Park Industrial Complex, and urban development is proceeding rapidly in Cheonan and Asan. Furthermore, due to such projects as the development of Chungcheongnam Innovative City and Chungcheong Mega City, the creation of an eco-friendly future mobility hub, and the development of a marine leisure tourist city, the entire Chungcheongnam region will need much more water.
In response, the Ministry of Environment and K-water threw themselves at the problem, planning and launching a water supply project for the Chungcheongnam region that will provide 890,000tons of water per day for household and industrial purposes to nine local governments and industrial zones, including Cheonan City, by 2030. This project consists of the Daecheong Dam Area 3rd Stage Metropolitan Area Water Supply Project, the Chungcheongnam Western Metropolitan Area Water Supply Project, and the Daesan Forest Sea Desalination Project.
With the launch of the Daecheong Dam Area 3rd Stage Metropolitan Area Water Supply Project, 690,000tons of water has been supplied every day to the residents of seven regions(Sejong Special Self-Governing City, Cheongju City, Cheonan City, Asan City, Seosan City, Dangjin City, and Yesan-gun) since December of last year, resulting in greatly improved water welfare for the general public and industries alike.

The key idea behind the water supply
project for Chungcheongnam-do consists in
revitalizing the local economy with industries
and jobs and improving the quality of life for
residents through better water welfare.

“Sustainable My Work and Tomorrow” in the Chungcheongnam Region

Water supply in Chungcheongnam-do is a serious problem that is crying out for a solution. The western part of Chungcheongnam-do suffers regular seasonal droughts due to climate change, with potable water being in particularly short supply. To make matters worse, the demand for water is increasing due to major urban developments such as Naepo New Town. To tackle this problem, the Ministry of Environment and K-water have come up with the idea of connecting the water systems of water-abundant regions with those of water-deficient regions. On that day, construction work was begun on two projects to create new waterways, namely, the Chungcheongnam Western Metropolitan Area Water Supply Project and the Daesan Forest Sea Desalination Project.
The Chungcheongnam Western Metropolitan Water Supply Project consists of an entirely new project designed to divert part of the water sourced from Daecheong Dam in the westward direction, and another project to stabilize the aging Boryeong Dam area metropolitan water supply system. The overall project is expected to result in the supply of 96,000tons(daily) of clean water to the inhabitants of the cities of Seosan and Dangjin, as well as those of Hongseong-gun, Yesan-gun, and Taean-gun.
This major seawater desalination project will convert seawater into fresh water in order to supply 100,000tons of water per day to the Daesan Forest Industrial Complex, making it the largest seawater desalination facility in the country. The project is anticipated to improve the safety of water supply, foster the growth of other related industries by developing and building up reverse osmosis technologies, and serve as the springboard for entering overseas water markets.
K-water CEO Park Jae-Hyeon said, “This project will lead to more balanced development of our regions by resolving the drought and water shortage issues in western Chungcheongnam-do, primarily by increasing the supply of water for 790,000 more people and generating productivity enhancement effects worth 2.1trillion won. Upon completion of all the projects in 2025, an additional 200,000tons of water will be supplied every day.”