The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is to begin a program this week designed to train local environmental protection officers in the use of artificial wetlands to purify waste water for the sake of river protection.
According to the EPA, several successful cases involving the use of artificial wetlands to block the entry of pollutants into rivers in remote areas in southern and eastern counties have inspired the establishment of a specially designed training program, to be given by the Environmental Professionals Training Institute under the EPA.
"In addition to conventional ways of using chemicals to treat rivers, now we can promote other methods that are more ecologically friendly and effective," Lee Jin-jing (李金靖), a division chief at the institute, told the Taipei Times.
Lee said that a small community in Tainan County has demonstrated the success of using artificial wetlands to purify waste water from residential areas.
The successful application of ecological engineering methods can be attributed to efforts made by both the government and residents. Lee said that well-constructed artificial wetland systems there had blocked the entry of pollutants into nearby rivers and made some water reusable after being purified naturally.
Another good example is in Hualien County, where a pioneering trial project was set up by the local government with the EPA's financial support last year. An artificial swamp covering only 0.354 hectares of an area near Liyutan Reservoir, a popular tourist spot, absorbs sewage expelled from nearby hotels, residences and stores effectively. During the process, phosphorus, ammonia, nitrogen and other chemicals are filtered. Both nitrogen and phosphorus contribute to eutrophication, a common phenomenon observed in aging reservoirs connected to polluted rivers in Taiwan.
"We believe that the concepts of ecological engineering might inspire local environmental officials when they design methods to tackle river pollution problems," Lee said.
In addition to basic concepts about up-to-date ecological engineering methods, the training program will also offer strategies for maintaining operational artificial wetlands.
Teaching materials for the training programs are available on the EPA's official Web site. Lee said that any environmental groups working on community-based projects involving river protection are encouraged to ask for professional advice about the creation of wetlands as an ecological-friendly purification system.
EPA officials said that the use of artificial wetlands to purify waste water should also be applied to lakes or reservoirs that are jeopardized by pollution. To further ensure the sustainability of water resources, Lee said, the EPA's program might also be offered to officials at other agencies involving water, such as the Water Resources Bureau and the Water Conservancy Agency under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau under the Council of Agriculture, for cross-agency communication work.
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