Revised enforcement decree of the Waterworks Act passed at Cabinet meeting Tuesday; water treatment plant operator deployment standards to be refined by facility size
The range of new technologies eligible for use in water supply facilities will expand from the industrial sector to include the environment, construction, and disaster safety sectors. Deployment standards for water treatment plant operation managers will also be refined to reflect facility size and operational complexity.
The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy said Tuesday that a revised enforcement decree of the Waterworks Act was passed at a Cabinet meeting and will take effect June 10.
Under the revision, the scope of new-technology products that can be used in water supply facilities will be broadened. Previously, operators installing general waterworks systems could only use products certified as new technologies in the industrial sector.
Going forward, products certified in the environment, construction, and disaster safety sectors will also qualify, laying the groundwork for wider distribution of diverse new technologies at water supply facilities.
The revision also rationalizes deployment standards for licensed water treatment plant operation managers. Under current law, treatment plants are required to station certified managers, with staffing requirements divided into six tiers based on facility capacity.
For plants processing between 100,000 and 500,000 tons per day, current rules require at least one Level 1 manager, three Level 2 managers, and four Level 3 managers. The revision splits this tier, creating a new sub-tier for plants handling between 100,000 and 250,000 tons per day and reducing the minimum number of Level 2 managers from three to two.
For smaller plants processing between 20,000 and 100,000 tons per day that rely solely on disinfection without filtration, or that use slow-sand filtration, staffing requirements have also been eased. Plants in the 20,000-to-50,000-ton range will now need one Level 2 and at least one Level 3 manager, down from one Level 1, one Level 2, and at least two Level 3 managers. Those in the 50,000-to-100,000-ton range will require one Level 1, one Level 2, and at least two Level 3 managers, reduced from one Level 1, two Level 2, and at least three Level 3 managers. The changes are intended to ease staffing burdens on local governments and other field operators while improving management efficiency.
"Through this revision, we expect high-quality new-technology products to be actively introduced at water supply facilities, ensuring the public receives safe and clean water," said Kim Ji-young, director of water use policy at the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy. "At the same time, by rationally reorganizing the deployment standards for water treatment plant managers in line with actual field conditions, we expect the effectiveness of plant operations to improve significantly."
thlee@heraldcorp.com
