Reservoir gate upgrades replace river widening, cutting project cost from 35.9 billion to 13.4 billion won
Gyeonggi Province announced Monday that it has completed a flood prevention project along Woncheonricheon stream in Suwon by upgrading reservoir floodgates upstream rather than widening the waterway itself, saving 22.5 billion won ($16.8 million) compared with the original plan.
The project improved the water storage and discharge capacity of Woncheon Lake and Sindae Reservoir inside Gwanggyo Lake Park, reducing flood risk downstream along Woncheonricheon during heavy rainfall. Construction began in October 2024 and was completed in October this year.
At a total cost of 13.4 billion won, the province replaced rubber weirs — rubber-membrane barriers used to hold back water — at both reservoirs with automated floodgates and established new operational guidelines for managing reservoir levels during heavy downpours. The upgrades expanded water storage capacity and improved the reservoirs' ability to regulate water levels, boosting flood resilience in downstream areas.
The province had originally planned to widen a 1.84-kilometer stretch of Woncheonricheon in Haedong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, and reinforce the riverbanks to prevent flooding downstream during heavy rain. That approach proved impractical: major facilities including Samsung Electronics and the Yeongtong-gu district office line the corridor, and raising low-clearance bridges to meet flood-level requirements would have required rebuilding an eight-lane road — making large-scale construction unavoidable.
In response, the province shifted its approach, opting to control water volumes at Woncheon Lake and Sindae Reservoir upstream rather than directly expanding the riverway.
As a result, the project cost fell from an estimated 35.9 billion won to 13.4 billion won, saving 22.5 billion won. By eliminating the need for land compensation and large-scale road construction, the province also cut the projected timeline from six years to two — a reduction of four years.
The province expects the completed project to reduce flood risk along the lower reaches of Woncheonricheon during summer downpours and typhoons, and to help prevent inundation damage in surrounding neighborhoods.
"With the completion of the Woncheonricheon improvement project, residents in the Suwon area will be significantly less anxious about flooding in the summer," Gyeonggi Province Construction Bureau Director Bae Seong-ho said. "I am grateful to the people of Gyeonggi Province, who have shown continued interest and support for the project even as it caused inconvenience at Gwanggyo Lake Park."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
