Taipei: Taiwan Water Corp. (TWC) announced it will resume sourcing water from the Keelung River starting Thursday, following clearance of an oil spill that occurred in late November. This decision comes after confirming that the water now meets safe drinking standards, the state-run company revealed on Wednesday.
According to Focus Taiwan, TWC Chairperson Lee Jia-rong stated that the company has enhanced its water quality monitoring at the suspected spill source from December 6 to 9. This includes rapid screenings for odor and volatile compounds, following the completion of dredging and anti-pollution efforts by Keelung authorities on December 5. Although the precise source of the pollution remains unidentified, no traces of oil have been detected for several days. Third-party tests have verified that the water complies with both drinking water source and drinking water standards.
Water intake from the Keelung River, which was halted since an oil slick was discovered on November 27, will resume at 8 a.m. on Thursday, but will be suspended at night. The intake hours will be gradually extended based on the stability of the water quality. The incident had affected approximately 180,000 households, who will not be charged for about half a month of water fees, resulting in at least NT$20 million (US$640,413) in lost revenue for TWC.
In collaboration with environmental agencies, the company is working with prosecutors to trace the pollution's source. Once identified, the responsible party will be required to compensate the company. Deputy Environment Minister Yeh Jiunn-Horng, present at the press conference, stated that suspects have been identified and investigations are ongoing to gather evidence.
Wang Yueh-pin, director-general of the Ministry of Environment's Department of Water Quality Protection, mentioned that Keelung authorities will form a specialized inspection team to prevent future incidents. This team will identify pollution hot spots, monitor land use in water-source protection areas, and enhance patrols targeting potential pollution sources. The Ministry of Environment has directed the environmental protection agencies of Keelung City and New Taipei to increase patrols in their areas. Since the incident, 65 businesses have been inspected, eight sampled, and two reported as of Tuesday.