'Poor change in water supply system caused tap water contamination'

By Kim Hyun-bin

The reddish tap water crisis affecting thousands of homes in Incheon resulted from excessive water pressure when changing water supply facilities, the central government said, Tuesday. The government advised people not to drink the tap water but it is okay to use for washing dishes or clothes.

The Ministry of Environment announced the results of the central government's investigation into the crisis. The announcement comes 19 days after the first complaint about the issue was reported on May 30, and 10 days after the ministry divided a group of 18 experts into four teams to lead the investigation.

“The reddish water was caused by a lack of preparation before the changing of the water system as well as a poor initial response to the problem,” Kim Young-hoon, director of the ministry's drinking water policy division, said during a media briefing at the Government Complex Sejong.

Experts believe most of the contaminants in the water are scales from the aged pipelines.

When changing the water supply system temporarily for a check-up, the local water management authorities reversed the direction of the water using high pressure in a short period of time without monitoring the quality of water during the process, so the scales came off the pipes and flowed into the purification plant, according to the ministry.

The ministry said it is working with the Incheon government to remove the contaminants and return the water quality to the same level as before the crisis, with an aim to supply clean tap water by June 29.

By late July, it also plans to come up with policies to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

The investigation team advised people not to drink the tap water for now, after conducting an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) test which found substances in the filter including aluminum, manganese and iron.

“Experts said it would be okay to drink the tap water if filtered, but added it would be improper to tell people to drink the water just because the level of water quality is within the permitted level, in the situation where filters still turn reddish easily,” Kim said. “But it could be used to wash clothes and dishes.”

Since the water contamination was first reported on May 30, more than 8,500 households have been affected in the western part of Incheon. But the situation has even expanded to the Yeongjong and Ganghwa areas. There have been over 100 reports of people with skin problems or stomachaches and over 10,000 civil complaints.

As of Tuesday, 151 schools in the region have been affected by the contaminated tap water and are unable to provide school lunches.

Incheon Mayor Park Nam-choon apologized to citizens Monday for failing to properly deal with the contaminated tap water crisis.