Updates on Domestic Wastewater
Management in Korea
Jae-Ho Lee
National Institute of Environmental Research
The 16th WEPA Annual Meeting
1 March 2021

Contents

Legislative Framework for Sewage Management
History of Sewerage
STP Effluent Standard
Master Plan of Nationwide Sewerage
Introduction of Basin Sewerage
Status of Sewerage
Future targets & plans

Legislative Framework for Sewage Management
Sewerage
ACT- (Composition) Chapter 8 and Article 80- (Purpose) Treatment of sewage and excrements through sewerage establishment andstandard for management. In addition, prevention of flood from sewage overflow,
contribution for public health and conservation of public water body
- (Main Content) Establishment and management of public and individual sewerage,
Treatment of excrements, Business related to sewage and excretion and etc.

WaterReuse
ACT- (Composition) Chapter 5 and Article 28- (Purpose) Effective and sustainable utilization of water resource through promotionof water reuse, resulting in decrease of bad effect for public water body
- (Main Content) Plan for water reuse, Establishment and management of facility forwater reuse, Cost for water reuse

MasterPlan ofNationwide
Sewerage- (Basis) Sewerage Act Article 4BasinSewerageMaintenance
Guideline

Sewerage
Maintenance
Framework
planGuideline- (Basis) Sewerage Act Article 4.2- (Basis) Sewerage Act Article 5 and 63

History of Sewage Management
History of Sewerage
Introduction of Sewage
Treatment Plant at First

Introduction ofEnvironment Ministry
and NIER

2ndMaster Plan
Introduction of Korea
Environment Corporation

2007

2016
1st
Establishment ofMaster Plan ofNationwide
Sewerage

2001
1987
1980
Introduction of Seweragerelated Major in College

Transferred to Sewerage Act of STP
Effluent Standard

1976
1971

1966
Introduction ofSewerage Act

1968
Introduction of Sewerage Act
Enforcement Regulation
Introduction of Sewerage Act
Enforcement Ordinance

History of Sewerage ActSTP Effluent Standard
2021 ∽∽ 2020
(STP > 500 ton/d) I : 20, II : 20, III : 40, IV : 40
(50 < STP < 500 ton/d) 40(STP < 50 ton/d) 40-(STP > 500 ton/d) I : 5, II : 5, III : 10, IV : 10(50 < STP < 500 ton/d) 10(STP < 50 ton/d) 10(STP > 500 ton/d) I : 20/0.2, II : 20/0.3,
III : 20/0.5, IV : 20/2
(50 < STP < 500 ton/d) 20/2
(STP < 50 ton/d) 40/4
(STP > 500 ton/d) I~IV : 10(50 < STP < 500 ton/d) 10(STP < 50 ton/d) 10(Total coliform) 1,000~3,000(Eco-toxicity) 1◀

COD(mg/L)◀

▶

Changed◀

TOC(mg/L)◀

BOD(mg/L)◀

TN/TP(mg/L)◀

SS(mg/L)

TotalColiform(/ml)▶

(STP > 500 ton/d) I : 15, II : 15, III : 25, IV : 25
(50 < STP < 500 ton/d) 25(STP < 50 ton/d) 25▶

(STP > 500 ton/d) I : 5, II : 5, III : 10, IV : 10(50 < STP < 500 ton/d) 10(STP < 50 ton/d) 10Not changed▶

(STP > 500 ton/d) I : 20/0.2, II : 20/0.3,
III : 20/0.5, IV : 20/2
(50 < STP < 500 ton/d) 20/2
(STP < 50 ton/d) 40/4

Not changed▶

(STP > 500 ton/d) I~IV : 10(50 < STP < 500 ton/d) 10(STP < 50 ton/d) 10

Not changed

Ecotoxicity(TU)▶

(Total coliform) 1,000~3,000(Eco-toxicity) 1

Not changed
5

STP Effluent Standard<Progress of TOC Application in STP effluent>
Background⦁ Introduction of TOC

standard in river andlake⦁ Deficiency of CODMnoxidation ability‘13‘15‘17

 Study for introduction of TOC to STP Transfer COD to TOC in River and Lake
 Implementation of expert’ conference toreview the introduction of TOC standard Study for optimum operating method of STP
to manage TOC through monitoring‘18

 Hold a presentation meeting for public related
to change of COD to TOC‘19

 Amendment Announcement for WWTP
effluent TOC standard to implement in 2020‘20

 Amendment Announcement for STP
effluent TOC standard to implement in 2021
6

Master Plan of Nationwide Sewerage
1st Plan(’07~’15)
Plan- Balance investment by district and increment ofeffectiveness- Management of sewerage by catchment- Resource recovery of sewage and etc.

92.1%
(Supply)

97.0%(Removal)

64.1%(Separated)- Supply rate of sewerage increased up to 92.1%
Outcome - Removal efficiency of BOD was achieved by 97.0%- Separate sewer system increased to 64.1%

2nd Plan(‘16~’25)
StableManagementof Sewerage

Service for
PublicConvenience

SewageManagement
duringRainfall

Sewerage
ManagementbyCatchment• Correspondence ability
upgrade of sewerage on
flood in city
• Maintenance of decrepit
pipe for safety in city

• Maintenance reinforcementof inconvenience part likesewerage odor
• Reinforcement of public
maintenance on private
sewage treatment plant• Improvement of combined
and separate sewer systemmanagement during rainfall• Secure the maximum
treatment ability ofsewerage during rainfall• Maintenancereinforcement ofinconvenience part likesewerage odor
• Reinforcement of public
maintenance on private
sewage treatment plant····7

Introduction of Basin Sewerage
Study for sewerage
maintenance andmanagement bycatchment‘08

Concept

Establishment on generalplan of comprehensive
sewerage maintenancefor demonstration

Establish “Basinsewerage maintenanceplan” as a law

‘11

‘12

Establishment of goaland strategy for basin
seweragemanagement‘21• Sewage treatment plant collecting and treating
sewage over administrative district managed
by each local government

Purpose ofIntroduction• Prevention of duplicate investment

Expectancy
Effect• Decrement of sewerage operating cost and site

• Enforcement of basin water quality management• Integrated operating management of sewerage• Development of water quality with low variation• Increment of efficiency on human resource management

8

Status of Sewerage<Variation of Sewerage Supply Rate>2nd Master Plan of
Nationwide Sewerage(‘16)

1st Master Plan of
Nationwide Sewerage(‘07)
100
9080

83.5

Supply Rate(%)

70

87.1

90.1

92.9

93.2

93.6

93.9

94.3

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

70.5

60
50
45.4

40

39.3

30
20
100

8.3

8.1

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2007

2010

9

Status of Sewerage<Status of sewage treatment plants>
5,000

Facilities
Facilities(> 500 ton/d)Volume of facilities (Million ton/d)

25

25.1

Volume(million ton/d)

25.4

25.7

26.1

26.1

23.9
22.6

3963

3907

4216

4111

4072

26.4

4,000

20
3,000

3064

152,000

2211

10

8.8

9.7
1698

1,000

50.50

Number of facilities

30

1980

0.8
71

1985

1990

1995

294

2005

357

2007

470

2010

625

2015

649

2016

660

2017

671

2018

681

2019

010

Status of Sewerage<Status of combined and separated sewer system>
100

Supply rate sewage pipe
Combined sewer system
Separate sewer system

80

79.9

80.0

80.7

81.8

82.3

58.9

60.0

71.4

55.9

(%)

60

61.6

62.4

66.1

55.3
54.1

46.9
41.7

40

57.3

41.2
35.1

34.1

30.2

32.0

25.8

24.4

23.4

22.9

22.3

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

27.3

20

0

55.619.9

1980

1985

1990

1995

2005

2007

2010

11

Status of Sewerage<BOD concentration and removal>
Removal efficiency

82.6

86.0

Effluent
89.4

Influent
92.2

94.1

96.6

96.9

97.6

97.0

180

80

166.6

163.9

Removal efficiency(%)

153.8
134.5

60

120
100

109.8
95.5

40

160
140

141.9

121.1
112

200

80
60

200

19.5
13.4

1995

1998

11.6

2001

Concentration[mg/L]

100

40
9.5

2004

8

2007

4.8

2010

4.8

2013

4

2016

3.3

2019

20012

Status of Sewerage<Operation of National Sewerage Information System>
National Sewerage
Information SystemSewage treatment plant• Data of water quality• Status of water reuse• Status of occurrence anddisposal of sludge

Pipe line of sewage• Information on dredging
and repairing• Status of investigation indetail• Report on technical diagnosis
and investigation in detail

Budget for sewerage

Ministry ofEnvironment
Environmental
OfficeLocal
government

Input
data

• Analysis of water quality
data• Analysis of status ofsewage treatment plant• Analysis of status ofbudget···• Management foradministration of budget

Government subsidies
Management SystemUse

Mistry of Public
Administrationand Security
National StatisticalOffice
PopulationMinistry of Economyand Finance13Future Target & Plans<Propulsion of Smart Sewerage Management System>
STP

Propulsion of real-time STP analysis and control system based on ICTfor scientific sewage treatment

Sewage Pipe

Development of real-time monitoring system on sewage pipe odor andcorrespondence system on heavy rainfall

Information

Propulsion for establishment of information service control center to makeand use big data of overall sewerage cycle
Smart management of sewage based on ICT

Big data platform
Control center

Linkage withwaterworks data
Occurrence

Correspondence systemon flood and odorOperating system
based on big data

Management of sewerage asset based on DB
Big data platform of sewage information
Transfer

Enforcement of
real-time
monitoring
Treatment
14

Future Target & Plans<Activation of Water Reuse>

Direction of policy propulsion
Transfer to
Water Recycle
System inCity

Establishmentof Water
Reuse
Systembased onBasin

Support forDevelopmentof Water
Reuse
Industry• Establishment ofsustainable water reusesystem• Enforcement ofmanagement system onwater reuse facility• Reinforcement of integrated
water management basedon catchment• Activation of treated waterreuse for industrial water• Development of coretechnology in water reusearea• Education about nee ofwater reuse

15

Future Target & Plans<Wastewater-based Epidemiology>
Definition
Wastewater-Based Epidemiology

⦁ Normalisation of analyte influent concentration

to per capita mass loads using the daily flow andsewage treatment plant(STP) population,

provides population-scale information on humanactivity within catchment boundaries

Goal• Development of analysis system on harmful
microorganisms and virus• Micropollutant management of sewage and reusewater※ Sims and Kasprzyk-Hordem, 2020.

16

Thank you for your attention!