Suncheon vows cleaner tap water for all residents

City to run on-site tap water safety checks, facility tours of intake and purification plants

Suncheon is pushing ahead with a program to strengthen tap water quality management as one of its key initiatives under the ninth directly elected administration, aiming to supply residents with clean, safe drinking water.

The city plans to invest 600 million won ($431,000) over five years from this year through 2030, pursuing three goals: strengthening drinking water quality inspections, taking preemptive action at vulnerable facilities, and opening intake and purification plants to public tours — all to raise residents' awareness of tap water safety and boost satisfaction and trust.

The city says residents' well-being starts with the water they drink, and it will tighten quality checks at every stage from intake to the household tap.

Under statutory standards, the city commissions specialized testing agencies to conduct daily, weekly and monthly inspections — as well as checks on priority and monitored parameters — covering raw and treated water at intake and purification plants, the distribution network and household taps. The city carries out a total of 1,056 water quality tests per year.

For residents who want to know whether their home tap water is safe, the city also operates a "tap water safety confirmation" service.

Upon request, a city official visits the home in person, tests the water and explains the results on the spot, giving residents direct confirmation of their tap water's safety in their own living environment.

The city also plans to make the tap water production process fully transparent and actively publicize its safety record to ease public concern.

The city will conduct proactive, on-site water quality inspections at facilities that may struggle to detect and report problems on their own, such as nursing homes and senior centers.

Inspection results will be communicated clearly to facility managers and users. If a water quality problem is found, the city will carry out a retest and inspect related infrastructure, including storage tanks and supply pipes.

The city also plans to advise facilities on cleaning, disinfection and infrastructure improvements, and will follow up to confirm that corrective measures have been completed, ensuring sustained water safety.

To let children, teenagers and the general public see firsthand how tap water is produced, the city will organize tours of its intake facilities, purification plants and reservoir sites.

Starting in October, the city plans to run purification plant tour programs for residents — including children and teenagers — in groups of about 15 people per session.

Each tour lasts about 40 minutes and follows a hands-on route departing from the main building of the Daeryong Water Purification Plant, passing in sequence through the coagulation basin, sedimentation basin, filtration beds and distribution reservoir.

At each facility, guides will explain how raw water is treated and transformed into clean tap water and describe the role each stage plays in the process.

"We will manage every step from production to the household tap with care, and build a water supply environment where all residents can use tap water with complete peace of mind," Suncheon Mayor Son Hun-mo said.