High-Quality Water Quality Management

High-quality Tap Water Production based on Global Water Quality Operation Standards.

K-water has introduced and has been operating a global water quality standards system since 2012 in order to secure global competitiveness for tap water. Global water quality standards refer to K-water’s own quality standards for tap water that have been established based on the strictest standards among the drinking water quality standards proposed by the World Health Organization and the five representative OECD countries.

K-water makes its’ utmost effort to improve achievement rates by calculating operation results annually and giving feedback on the results of the water treatment facilities that are in operation (metropolitan, local consigned). While optimizing the water treatment process and improving vulnerable facilities, we have maintained an achievement rate of 99.9% for the past five years, producing the world’s top-quality tap water.

Global Water Quality Standard Achievement Rate

Operation of the World’s Top Water Monitoring System

K-water has been conducting annual monitoring (WSS 231) to thoroughly manage all potential hazardous factors that may occur from the source to the faucet. We take flexible and preemptive actions to address rapidly-changing local and international water quality management trends through our global-level water environment safety management system (WSS 231).

K-water has established analysis methods for new substances based on 500 substances and items subject to monitoring and conducts water quality monitoring on 231 items to strengthen purification-centered safety verification. In addition, to ensure the safety of the overall water environment from sources to drinking water, we developed and implemented a more advanced safety management system while expanding the monitoring scope to include watersheds in 2019.

• Comparison of Domestic and Overseas Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Items (as of Feb. 2024)

  

• 231 Items for Water Quality Inspection and Management

  

Preemptive Management of Unexpected Water Quality Risks

K-water has completed the installation of real-time abnormal water quality measuring instruments at water intake sources of all metropolitan treatment plants, enhancing the capabilities to preemptively respond to abnormal water quality issues due to climate change. We have improved our water quality management capabilities by recognizing green algae and manganese in advance and responding to them promptly. Moreover, we have ensured that the general public can drink from the tap with confidence by acquiring ISO22000* (Food Safety Management System) certification for all metropolitan water treatment plants and establishing a safe tap water production system at the food hygiene level.

* ISO22000: International standards for the effective management of all hazardous factors that may occur during the production of food and the manufacturing process

Installation of Advanced Water Purification Facilities

Advanced water purification facilities refer to water treatment technologies that are added, such as ozone and activated carbon, to the general water treatment process in order to treat the taste, odor, and trace organic pollutants in tap water that the general process cannot eliminate. K-water has introduced the advanced water purification system to 12 water treatment plants as of 2023 to produce quality tap water, starting with the Bansong Water Purification Plant in 2006, and has an expansion plan of up to 32 plants by 2033.

Optimal Chemical Use Management in the Tap Water Production Process

K-water manages the amount of chemicals used in tap water production on a Korean won basis in order to supply reliable tap water to the people (the amount of money for the chemical per 1 ton of tap water production). In addition, we set the optimal input rate of the treatment agents and continuously manage the rate to reduce chemical use even in the case of climate-induced adverse water environment conditions such as heavy rain and green algae blooms.

The status of chemicals used at K-water purification plants in the unit of won is available in the Water Management Yearbook.

Organizational Chart for Water Quality Crisis Responses to Secure Tap Water Quality