Gyeonggi Province Saves KRW 22.5 Billion by Improving Reservoir Gates Instead of Widening Woncheon-ri Stream in Suwon

Gyeonggi Province completed a project to improve the gates of an upstream reservoir, rather than widening the stream, to prevent flood damage along Woncheon-ri Stream in Suwon. The project saved KRW 22.5 billion compared with the original budget.

The project aimed to reduce flood risks downstream along Woncheon-ri Stream during torrential rain by improving the water storage and discharge functions of Woncheon Lake and Shindae Reservoir in Gwanggyo Lake Park. Construction began in October 2024 and was completed in October 2026.

Gyeonggi Province invested a total of KRW 13.4 billion to replace the existing rubber weirs—water barriers made of rubber—at the two reservoirs with automatic sluice gates and to establish reservoir operation and management guidelines for torrential rain and other conditions. The province said the improvements expanded the reservoirs' capacity for water-level control and storage, strengthening flood-response capabilities in downstream areas.

Gyeonggi Province had originally planned to widen a 1.84-kilometer section of the stream in the area around Hadong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, and reinforce its banks to prevent Woncheon-ri Stream from overflowing during torrential rain. However, major facilities such as Samsung Electronics and the Yeongtong-gu Office are located nearby. Raising bridges that are lower than the water level expected during floods would also have required improvements to a road with eight lanes in both directions, making large-scale construction unavoidable.

Woncheon Lake Automatic Floodgate

Gyeonggi Province therefore revised the project plan, opting to reduce flood risks downstream by regulating the water levels of upstream Woncheon Lake and Shindae Reservoir instead of directly widening the stream.

As a result, the province reduced the estimated project cost from KRW 35.9 billion to KRW 13.4 billion, saving KRW 22.5 billion. By reducing the need for land compensation and large-scale road construction for the stream-widening project, it also shortened the estimated project period by four years, from six years to two.

Gyeonggi Province expects the improvements to reduce flood risks downstream along Woncheon-ri Stream during summer torrential rain and typhoons, and to help prevent flood damage in nearby areas.

"With the completion of the Woncheon-ri Stream improvement project, residents in the Suwon area will be much less worried about flooding in the summer," said Bae Seongho, head of Gyeonggi Province's Construction Bureau. "I would like to thank the residents of Gyeonggi Province for their continued interest and support for the project, despite the inconvenience to visitors to Gwanggyo Lake Park during construction."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.