Baengnyeongdo Navy base reports boron levels exceeding drinking water standards

Drinking water at a Republic of Korea Navy base on Baengnyeongdo has been found to contain boron levels exceeding safety standards. During a regular water quality test for the second quarter of this year, boron levels were measured at 1.52 mg/L, surpassing the domestic limit of 1 mg/L.

Following an initial failure, the Navy replaced basic filters and conducted a retest. However, the second test showed even higher levels of 2.34 mg/L, which is more than double the domestic standard. Because the base lacks a connection to the civilian municipal water supply, it relies on a seawater desalination system to provide water.

The Navy has suspended the use of desalinated water for drinking, restricting it to non-potable uses such as laundry and cleaning. Personnel are currently being provided with commercially available bottled water. To address the issue, the Navy has replaced several high-performance membrane and activated carbon filters and plans to install additional reverse osmosis purifiers capable of removing boron. A third water quality test is scheduled for later this month.