Incheon Explores Cleaner Tap Water and Stream Restoration

Incheon City Council Chairman Park Jong-hyuk held a policy meeting on October 22 to discuss how to improve tap water quality for residents. The talks covered aging water pipes in homes and schools, as well as eco-friendly ways to clean up the Gulpocheon stream in the city's Bupyeong District.

Pipes, Schools and a Pilot Project

The meeting took place at the council chairman's office and included Shim Hak-seop, CEO of Jinhaeng Waterway, and Jang Dae-gyeom, chairman of Gil Co., along with council officials. Water quality depends not only on treatment plants but also on distribution networks, indoor pipes and storage tanks, so old buildings, schools and public facilities can see differences in color and turbidity at the tap.

Incheon already runs a roughly 10 billion won program this year to help replace aging indoor water pipes, such as corrosion-prone galvanized steel. Eligible homes can receive up to 80 percent of construction costs, capped at 1.5 million won per household, and social welfare facilities and schools are also covered. The city's waterworks headquarters offers a visit-based testing service called Incheon-style Water Care for homes, schools, daycare centers and senior facilities. In 2025, it targeted 25,000 homes and public facilities for free testing, including about 2,580 schools, kindergartens and daycare centers.

The two companies presented a pipe performance enhancement device that could improve pipe condition, extend service life and possibly lower replacement costs in public buildings. Any adoption would require before-and-after water tests, such as turbidity and residual chlorine, and cost comparisons with replacement.

Park also proposed a pilot project at Gulpocheon, a stream running through Bupyeong and Gyeyang districts that is being restored after parts were covered over during urban development. Phase one of the restoration, about 1.5 km, was completed in December 2025, and post-restoration monitoring and a basic plan for phase two are underway. Park said results would be evaluated for effectiveness and safety before any expansion elsewhere in Incheon.

Why It Matters

Water trust depends on what comes out of the tap, not only on treatment plants. Any new technology will need transparent testing, cost comparison and review by the agencies that run the facilities before it moves from discussion to practice.

Read the original article in Korean: K trendy NEWS