The Hsinchu City Government on Wednesday announced the opening of the Sipuzi (溪埔子) and Kozi Lake (柯子湖) artificial wetland parks, saying that it hoped the parks would become new tourist attractions in the Toucian River (頭前溪) area.
The parks were designed to assist with wastewater treatment and to provide urban green spaces for leisure and relaxation, the city government’s Bureau of Environmental Protection said, adding that sustainable management was a key concept throughout the design process.
The 8-hectare Sipuzi wetland park is capable of cleaning 8,000 tonnes of wastewater per day while decreasing biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids and ammoniacal nitrogen by 19 tonnes, 100 tonnes and 12 tonnes respectively per year, the bureau said, adding that the 12-hectare Kozi Lake park is capable of treating 16,000 tonnes of wastewater per day.
Photo: Taipei Times
The two parks have attracted large numbers of waterfowl and enriched the local wetlands ecosystem, bureau director Chiang Sheng-jen (江盛任) said, adding that the population of fish and other aquatic lifeforms were also increasing.
Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) said that the Toucian River could be considered the mother of Hsinchu City and has slowly nurtured the city’s development.
The total cost of the endeavor was NT$73.9 million (US$2.2 million), Lin said, adding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided 70 percent of the funding.
He said that the city government is also looking to extend bike paths to as far as Nanliao Harbor (南寮) and other parts of Hsinchu County, providing multipurpose, eco-friendly walkways for leisure, environmental protection and education.
“We also hope to establish other facilities such as waterside parks and dog parks, as well as softball fields,” Lin said. “We also look forward to cooperating with the Society of Wilderness in a periodic event aimed at offering children a deeper understanding of conservation,” Lin said.
EPA Director Wei Kuo-yen (魏國彥) attended the ceremony announcing the opening of the parks.
He said that river cleaning is an important task that is gaining the attention of cities all around the world, and using artificial wetlands to help treat wastewater is cheaper than traditional methods.
The parks are excellent examples of environmental protection projects that can create extra leisure space for city residents, Wei said.
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