Preventing repeated flooding of the World Heritage Bangudae petroglyphs... Strengthening the safety of Sayeon Dam

Korea Water Resources Corporation announced on the 10th that it, along with the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and Ulsan City, has begun construction on the 'Sayeon Dam Safety Reinforcement Project' to prevent flooding of Bangudae Petroglyphs in Daegok-ri, Ulju, a UNESCO World Heritage National Treasure.

The Bangudae petroglyphs, a national treasure, are located at an altitude of 53m, which is lower than the full water level of Sayeon Dam (60m above sea level), so the problem of being submerged in water occurred repeatedly during heavy rains.

Sayeon Dam is an old facility that was completed over 60 years ago in 1965, and the need to reinforce the facility in preparation for complex disasters such as extreme floods and earthquakes due to climate change has been consistently raised.

Accordingly, Sugong will invest a total of 80.9 billion won in national funds to undertake a project to preserve cultural heritage while ensuring dam safety.

Sugong plans to lower the height of the existing natural overflow spillway from 60m to 47m above sea level and build a new floodgate with a width of 15m and a height of 7m.

Once a floodgate is installed, preemptive and flexible discharge of water can be performed even during flood periods, allowing the dam water level to be maintained below 53m above sea level, below the location of the petroglyphs.

In addition, Sugong explained that by building a new water intake tower and connecting pipes, drinking water and industrial water can be stably supplied to the Ulsan area.

The main construction of the project began on the 9th, and excavation of the spillway, fabrication and installation of water pipes, and construction of water intake facilities are scheduled to be carried out in stages.

The entire process is expected to be completed by 2030.

Jang Byeong-hoon, head of the Water Resources and Environment Department at Handcraft, said, “This will be an opportunity to secure the safety of Sayeon Dam and at the same time solve the long-standing problem of flooding of the Bangudae Petroglyphs, a World Heritage Site.”