Updates of Water Environment
Governance in Korea
Tae-Jin Park
National Institute of Environmental Research
The 15th WEPA Annual Meeting
8 February 2020Bangkok

Contents

Legislative Framework for Water Environmental
Governance
Water Quality Monitoring Framework
Status of water quality
Status of domestic & industrial wastewater
Future targets

Legislative Framework for Water Environmental Governance
Environment Policy Framework Act- The primary law governing environment in Korea- Purpose: to prevent environmental pollution, to protect environment appropriatelyand to keep the environment sustainable, resulting in letting people enjoythe healthy and amiable environment.
- The basis for regulations

Water Environment Conservation Act- Purpose: to protect people from water pollution, to manange the quality of streams, rivers
and lakes appropriately, resulting in the benefit from the water environment
managed well.
- Regulation of wastewater from the effluent

Legislative Framework for Water Environmental Governance<Environment Policy Framework Act>AirRiversStandard forprotecting
humanhealthEnvironmental
standard forliving

NoiseLakes
Standard forprotecting
humanhealthEnvironmental
standard forlivingWater

Groundwater

Based on the managementof drinking water act andwater supply andwaterworks installation act

SeawaterStandardfor
protecting
humanhealth
Environmental
standard forlivingMarinestandard
based onecology

pH, BOD, TOC, SS, DO,
TP, total coliform,
fecal coliform

pH, TOC, SS,DO, TP, TN,
Chl-a, total coliform,
fecal coliform

Standard forprotecting
marine aquaticlife

Legislative Framework for Water Environmental Governance<Water quality standards>
Water quality standard for protecting human health
As, Cd, CN, Cr6+, Pb,PCBs, Organic
phosphorus, Total
mercury, Alkyl
mercury

As, Cd, CN, Cr6+, Pb,PCBs, Hg, Organic
phosphorus, ABS,benzene, chloroform,DCM, Carbon
tetrachloride, 1,2DCE, PCE

As, Cd, CN, Cr6+, Pb,PCBs, Hg, Organic
phosphorus, ABS,benzene, chloroform,DCM, Carbon
tetrachloride, 1,2DCE, PCE, Sb, DEHP

As, Cd, CN, Cr6+, Pb,PCBs, Hg, Organic
phosphorus, ABS,benzene, chloroform,
DCM, Carbon
tetrachloride, 1,2DCE, PCE, Sb, DEHP,
1,4-Dioxane,
Formaldehyde, HCB

30(plan)

9891978

1983

1991

15

172006

2009

20

2012

2025

Legislative Framework for Water Environmental Governance<Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)>(UNEP report, 2009)Legislative Framework for Water Environmental Governance

SewerageRivers or Streams
managed by Country(Ministry of Environment)(Ministry of Land, Infrastructure
Small stream or Creekand Transport)(Ministry of the Interior and Safety)

Local stream(Ministry of Land, Infrastructureand Transport)

Lakes(Ministry of Agriculture, Foodand Rural affairs)

Legislative Framework for Water Environmental Governance
Since 2019, Ministry of Environment is responsible for Integrated Water Resources
Management.

Sewerage(Ministry of Environment)

Rivers or Streams
managed by Country(Ministry of Environment)

Small stream or Creek(Ministry of Environment)

Local stream(Ministry of Environment)

Lakes(Ministry of Environment)

Water quality monitoring Framework
Classification
Ministry ofEnvironment

National Institute ofEnvironmental Research

Manualmonitoring

TMDL
TMDL
monitoring(336)

Automatic
monitoring

Sediment
monitoring

Radioactive
material
monitoring

Aquatic life
monitoring

Nonpoint
sourcemonitoring- 1,936 sites- Since 1967

- 337 sites- Since 2004

- 70 sites- Since 1995

- 306 sites- Since 2012

- 90 sites- Since 2014

- 3,884 sites- Since 2016

- 2 sites- Since 2018

Water quality monitoring Framework
 Objective
to comprehend the state of water quality andaquatic ecosystem in public water Start of operation : Since 1967
 Number of sampling site : total 6,625 sites- (River) 5,589 sites,- (lake) 368 sites- (Estuary) 668 sites
 Number of investigation institution- 29 institutions
 Related act- Environment Policy Framework Act- Water Environment Conservation Act

Water quality monitoring Framework
Water quality
standard
Environmental standard
for living
pH, BOD, COD(TOC), SS, DO,TN, TP, total coliform, fecal
coliform(8 parameters)

Standard for protecting
human health
As, Cd, CN, Cr6+, Pb, PCB,Hg, Sb, organic phosphorus,
ABS, benzene, chloroform,DCM, carbon tetrachloride,
1,2-DCE, PCE, DEHP, 1,4dioxane, formaldehyde,
hexachlorobenzene(20 parameters)

National water
quality monitoring
Temperature, pH, DO, BOD,COD(TOC), TOC, SS, TN,DTN, TP, NH3-N, DTP, PO4-P,
total coliform, fecal
coliform, conductivity,
chlorophyll-a, As, Cd, CN,
Cr6+, Pb, PCB, Hg, Sb,organic phosphorus, ABS,benzene, chloroform,DCM, carbon tetrachloride,
1,2-DCE, PCE, DEHP, 1,4dioxane, formaldehyde,
phenols, TCE,
hexachlorobenzene(39 parameters)

Permissible
Discharge Limit
BOD, TOC, SS, pH, n-hexane,phenols, pentachlorophenol,phenol, CN, Cr, Fe, Zn, Cu,Cd, Hg, Organic phosphorus,
As, Pb, Cr6+, Mn, F, PCB, total
coliform, color, temperature,
TN, TP, TCE, PCE, ABS,benzene, DCM, TU, Se, Ni,
Ba, 1,1-DCE, Carbon
tetrachloride,
1,2-DCE, chloroform, 1,4Dioxane, DEHP, vinyl
chloride, acrylonitrile,bromoform, naphthalene,
formaldehyde,epichlorohydrin, Sb, toluene,
xylene, styrene, perchlorate,acrylamide, DEHA
(55 parameters)

Water quality monitoring Framework
Manual monitoring Number of sampling sites
1,936 points cover most of the nation’s streams
and lakes

 Sampling interval
differs from points but mostly monthly for a general
purpose and weekly for important points or specific use
such as TMDL and water quality forecast

Water quality monitoring Framework<Water Quality Index in Korea>• Water Quality status is divided
into 7 levels.
Ia. Very goodIb. GoodII. Moderately goodIII. Moderate
IV. Moderately bad
V. BadVI. Very bad☞ http://water.nier.go.kr

Status of Water Quality<Status of water quality in 4 major RIVERS in Korea>

BOD

Water quality status (GOOD) (%)

10080

96.9

80.9

84.3

86.2

River and stream(GOOD : BOD ≤ 3 mg/L)
2017100

2018

89.7
81.8
72.7
61.9

60

57.1

40

200Total

Han river

Nakdong riverGeum river

Yeongsan river

Status of Water Quality<Status of water quality in 4 major RIVERS in Korea>

TPRiver and stream(GOOD: TP ≤ 0.1 mg/L)
2017

2018

Water quality status (GOOD) (%)

100806040200Total

Han river

Nakdong riverGeum river

Yeongsan river

Status of Water Quality
4.0

BOD (mg/L)

Han river (Paldang)
Nakdong river (Mulgeum)
Geum river (Daecheong)
Yeongsan river (Juam)

3.0

TP (mg/L)

Han river (Paldang)
Nakdong river (Mulgeum)
Geum river (Daecheong)
Yeongsan river (Juam)

4.0

2.0

1.0

1.0

0.0

8.0

Han river (Paldang)
Nakdong river (Mulgeum)
Geum river (Daecheong)
Yeongsan river (Juam)

3.0

2.0

COD (mg/L)
10.0

5.0

TN (mg/L)

0.0Han river (Paldang)
Nakdong river (Mulgeum)
Geum river (Daecheong)
Yeongsan river (Juam)

0.25
0.20

6.0

0.15

4.0

0.10

2.0

0.05

0.00.00

Status of Domestic and Industrial Wastewater<Current status of domestic wastewater>
facilities

amount (million ton/d)

20
18.5

5,000

18.6

18.7

19.5

19.9

3613

377419.9375719.7

3907

19.8

396320.4

4072

20.3

3363

3064

15

4,000

3,000

2770
2394

10

2,000

5

1,000

00

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Number of facilities

Amount of domestic wastewater (Million ton/d)25* This number does not include private treatment plants

Status of Domestic and Industrial Wastewater<Current status of domestic wastewater>

removal efficiency (%)

influent

100

effluent

166.6

160

153.8

BOD concentration (mg/L)

134.5

120

121.1
112.0

100

109.8

90

95.5

80

96.6
92.2

60

0

96.9

97.6

85

94.1

89.4

40
20

95

141.9

140

86.0

80

82.6

19.5

1995

13.4

1998

11.6

2001

9.5

2004

8.0

2007

4.8

2010

4.8

2013

4.0

2016

75

BOD removal efficiency (%)

180

Status of Domestic and Industrial Wastewater<Current status of industrial wastewater>
10industries

amount60000

effluent

amount (milion ton/d)

40000
6300004200002010000

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

0

Number of industires

50000

8

Future targets

1. To pay attention to emerging pollutants and manage them

PastBOD
COD
TN
TPetc.

FuturePPCPs(Musk ketone)
Pesticides
PFOS, PFOA etc
microplastics
POPs
Other micropollutants≈ 100,000 chemicals in use yet

Poor quality data only available
For ≈ 1000 – 5000 (1-5%) of theseFuture targets

2. To establish the framework of Integrated Water Resources
Management- To provide water and to monitor water quality & quantity
more efficiently- To adapt to climate change more efficiently
3. To keep water environment healthy from stream to estuary- To make rivers ecologically friendly by recovering ecological health- To strengthen the management of soil and underground water

Thank you for your attention!!!
경청해 주셔서 감사합니다.