Gongsan Dam
Gongsan Dam is a rockfill dam in Jimyo-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu, South Korea.< Built across the Donghwacheon stream flowing south from Palgongsan, the dam creates a reservoir locally known as Gongsanji or Gongsanho. It is a municipal asset owned and operated by the Daegu Metropolitan City Waterworks Headquarters.
The dam's primary purpose is to impound water for the Gongsan Purification Plant, which secures the water supply for several districts in northern Daegu.
History
Construction
The dam's construction began in 1979 and was completed in 1981. The associated Gongsan Purification Plant began construction in September 1982, with an initial installed capacity of 50,000 cubic meters per day.Role in Daegu's water security
While a modest contributor to Daegu's total water supply, the dam is considered a critical contingency asset. The city maintains it as an "insurance policy"—a high-quality, low-cost, and protected backup source, diversified from the main Nakdong River supply, which is more vulnerable to industrial pollution, particularly after the 1991 Phenol Incident.Daegu's tap water comes from four main sources: the Nakdong River, Unmun Dam, and Gachang Dam and Gongsan Dam.
2016 resolution
The stalemate was broken in 2016. On April 15, 2016, the Ministry of Environment approved Daegu's plan, and by October 2016, the city officially removed 6 km², or 63% of the restricted area, from the protection zone. This immediately restored property and development rights to over 500 of the 520 affected households.This political resolution was made possible by a long-term "technological fix." From 1994 to 2018, the city invested 23.8 billion won in a two-phase infrastructure project:Phase 1 : Installation of wastewater interception pipes at a cost of 12.8 billion wonPhase 2 : Installation of modern sewage pipes in Baegan-dong and Midae-dong at a cost of 11 billion won
This comprehensive network of wastewater interception and sewage pipes actively captured and diverted wastewater from the area, protecting the reservoir's water quality. By engineering a solution to pollution, the city no longer needed to rely on the passive, prohibitive development ban, thus resolving the conflict by satisfying both water security and private property rights.