UMC's new plant at mercy of EPA

EPA officials argued that ion implant and diffusion facilities could pollute water resources.

Responding to the case, environmentalists said the UMC case was just the tip of the iceberg.

"We cannot let the case pass without due attention. The perfunctory attitude of the government toward [development at] the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park has resulted in several serious environmental problems," said Lin Sheng-chung (林聖崇), an activist from Taiwan Greenpeace.

Lin said that residents in Hsinchu have already suffered from polluted waste water discharged from the industrial park.

Lin added that in 1997, 30 percent of waste water was discharged illegally into the nearby Touchien River.