Arisu is the current name of the

tap water Tap water (also known as faucet water, running water, or municipal water) is water supplied through a tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used for drinking, ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

Name

Arisu was named in 2004, the former name for Han River in ancient

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...

, with the combination of 'Ari,' which means 'big' in Korean, and 'Su,' meaning, 'water.' It is also the name of the

water treatment plant Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, inclu ...

located in Seoul, South Korea.

Quality and Supply

Water source management

Because Arisu is supplied to all areas of the city of Seoul, it is very strictly administrated by the water treatment plant. The Seoul Metropolitan Government engages in 24-hour real-time protection and surveillance of the water source to deliver clean and safe tap water. Regular assessments are made of 41 different indicators at 33 water source points and 135 indicators at the six water intake points. Seven indicators, including

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from u ...

(chlorophyll-a) and

phenol Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it requir ...

, are especially monitored automatically around the clock. The Guui plant operates a biological early warning system using water fleas in addition to installing barriers to block oil from flowing into the water source. It is being served to more than ten million people living in Seoul and the metropolitan region of South Korea. Households with low-income are provided with 21 million bottles of Arisu.

Water purification system

The Office of Waterworks

Seoul Metropolitan Government The Seoul Metropolitan Government is a local government of Seoul, South Korea. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by the citizens of Seoul and is responsible for the administration of the city government. The Seoul Metropolitan Government d ...

Starting with the

Yeongdeungpo Yeongdeungpo District () is an administrative district in southwest Seoul, South Korea. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, the first two syllables are thought to be from "''yeongdeung''" (靈登) or "divine ascent", a shamanic rite. T ...

Purification Plant in 2010, Seoul Metropolitan Government will augment the current average purification treatment method with the new ozone and granular activated carbon (or charcoal) system and expand this new advanced system to six water purification centers by 2015. The Advanced Water Purification System is a significantly more advanced water purification process when compared to previous water purification systems, and can eliminate the unpleasant taste from poor water quality and microbial elements such as residual antibiotics.

Seoul Water-Now System

Seoul Water-Now System is an automatic supervisional system of Arisu. It started in 2004, to prevent water contamination. It checks all the process of producing and supplying Arisu. Total of 156 places are checking its quality. The Office of Waterworks Seoul Metropolitan Government won the

United Nations Public Service Awards The United Nations (UN) Public Service Award is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and ...

in 2009 for the system.2009 UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS WINNERS AND FINALISTS
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References

Water treatment facilities Water in Seoul {{Seoul-stub