Several rounds of flushing and water-quality tests confirmed that tap water polluted by an oil spill on the Keelung River (基隆河) now meets all safety standards, the Taiwan Water Corp (TWC) said yesterday.
The TWC said it halted river-water intake immediately after Thursday’s oil slick was detected near the Badu pumping station and switched to reservoir water, while deploying 286 personnel for system-wide flushing.
The incident affected households in several districts in Keelung as well as parts of New Taipei City’s Sijhih District (汐止).
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑) said the city has taken additional precautions, ordering comprehensive sampling at all 28 schools served by the Singshan water treatment plant close to Singshan Reservoir.
Schools supplied by the Nuannuan, Liudu and Anle water treatment plants showed no irregularities in initial checks, he said, adding that all school water tanks will be inspected and cleaned if needed.
He added that water trucks remain on standby to ensure an uninterrupted supply.
Keelung City Council Speaker Tung Tzu-wei (童子瑋) said TWC had begun formal school testing procedures, including draining and refilling water tanks before sampling.
On-site checks of pH, residual chlorine, turbidity, conductivity, total dissolved solids and odor have also been done, with all samples sent for confirmatory laboratory analysis ahead of students’ return today, Tung added.
TWC advised households that still notice residual odors, likely from water stored before flushing, to drain and clean tanks or flush taps.
The company also said it has launched a compensation plan offering reductions in water bills and reimbursement for professional tank cleaning.
Keelung’s Environmental Protection Bureau has deployed containment booms, collected samples and asked police to help investigate the source of the pollution.
The bureau said that polluters could face fines between NT$60,000 (US$1,910) and NT$20 million under the Water Pollution Control Act (水污染防治法).
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