Home > National > Social Affairs

Gangneung approves usage of Doam Dam water to ease city's water shortage

Published: 10 Sep. 2025, 13:18 Updated: 10 Sep. 2025, 23:37

Green-tinted water fills the Doam Dam waterway in Daegwallyeong, Pyeongchang County, Gangwon, on Sept. 8. [YONHAP]

Gangwon's Gangneung will temporarily use the poorer quality water released from the Doam Dam waterway in Daegwallyeong, Pyeongchang County, to help ease the city's severe water shortage amid one of its worst droughts in history.

A test release is expected to begin on Sept. 20.

Gangneung city officials said Wednesday they will soon form a water quality verification committee, consisting of local governments, academic experts and civic groups, to assess the safety and stability of the emergency water supply.

In addition to tests conducted by the Ministry of Environment, the city will carry out its own water quality assessments. If the water is found unsuitable for use as a raw source for household supply, the city said it will halt the emergency water release in consultation with authorities.

Earlier analyses by the Environment Ministry and the Wonju Regional Environmental Agency concluded that the emergency water from the Doam Dam waterway meets drinking water standards after purification.

The Environment Ministry said it will transparently disclose future water quality test results and provide technical support to ensure stable operation at Gangneung’s Hongje Water Purification Plant.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power’s Gangneung Hydropower Plant is also upgrading its existing facilities to safely manage the emergency water discharge.

“If we can secure 10,000 tons of raw water per day through this emergency release, it will significantly help slow the decline of the Obong Reservoir’s water levels,” a city official said, expressing gratitude to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Environment Ministry and Gangwon provincial government for their support.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]