Fourteen of Taipei's 77 hot springs have failed to pass water-quality inspections, including some well-known places in the popular Peitou district, city officials said yesterday.
According to Lue Hui-chen (
The other 10 tested positive for e. coli in addition to having an excessive viable bacterial count.
"Most of the hot springs are in the Peitou district," Lue said.
The inspections, which took place in November, were the second conducted on the water quality of Taipei's hot springs.
The first took place in October and found that five out of 70 hot springs had failed to measure up to water-quality standards.
"We chose to perform the inspections during this period of time because visiting hot springs is a popular activity among the public during the winter season," Lue said.
Lue said hot springs that failed to pass the water-quality inspection were fined NT$2,000. Inspectors plan to visit the springs weekly for follow-up testing.
The health official said that some hot springs were not refreshing water frequently, which contributes to low water quality.
"Often times, the water quality of these places measures up to hygienic standards before customers step into the spring," Lue said.
"But when they fail to refresh the water in accordance with the number of people bathing in the spring, the quality of the pool water becomes unsanitary."
Also, officials say patrons should not stay in a hot spring for more than 15 minutes.
"The point of a hot spring bath is to feel comfortable," Lue said. "As soon as one feels uneasy and uncomfortable, she should get out of the pool right away."
The following 10 springs tested positive for e. coli and registered excessive viable bacterial counts: Hotel China (
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