The country’s biggest reclaimed water demonstration project “Futian Water Recycling Center Effluents Recycling and Reuse Plan” has entered the construction phase. Deputy Mayer Huang Kuo-rong attended the ground-breaking ceremony today (the 5th) and expressed that Futian was the first Water Recycling Center that initiated the reclaimed water project in Central Taiwan. He said that this project would transform the Center into a small urban water reservoir and supply reclaimed water to the Taichung Port Industrial Zone. With a total budget of NT$4.07 billion, this project aims to install 29 km of water pipelines and will officially begin to supply water in 2026.
Deputy Mayor Huang pointed out that this project was approved by Executive Yuan in 2013, but it has been impossible to reach a consensus due to disagreement in water price and water use agreements between relevant parties. Nevertheless, after taking up her official post, Mayor Lu Shiow-yen designated the Water Resources Bureau to proactively negotiate with and integrate opinions of the supply, demand and management sides. In 2020, the Bureau signed a water use agreement with Port of Taichung of Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) and Dragon Steel Corporation (DSC), and completed the tender process for construction, where Forest Water Environmental Engineering Co., Ltd., Cin Cheng Constructions Co., Ltd. and Kuo Toong International Co., Ltd. will jointly undertake this project.
Deputy Mayor Huang also delivered special thanks to the Ministry of the Interior for its support as the subsidy unit; and to the Water Resources Agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Port of Taichung TIPC, DSC and all manufacturers and agencies for their participation. He said that, because of their joint efforts, the construction of Futian project was eventually launched today, showing that the central and local governments have gone a further big step in the development of water resource reclamation and reuse!
Deputy Huang said that, in recent years, the extreme climate had resulted in problems like water shortage and unstable water supply, and having daily sewage reclaimed by the water recycling center for reuse can stabilize the water supply without being affected by the weather conditions! At the moment, Taichung City has 11 water recycling centers that are in operation and these centers can process around 260,000 tons of sewage per day. Among them, Futian Water Recycling Center was established the earliest by the city and has the highest processing capacity. It can handle around 152,000 tons of sewage, accounting for 60% of the city’s total processing volume, thanks to its abundant water resources that help to facilitate the processing.
Mayor Huang emphasized that, from today, the promotion of Taichung City’s reclaimed water project would start at Futian Water Recycling Center. At the moment, this project supplies around 58,000 tons of reclaimed water and, together with the incoming reclaimed water projects of Shuinan and Fengyuan water recycling centers (with a supply of 130,000 tons), the city is expected to have a supply of around 190,000 tons of reclaimed water. Through this demonstrative project, the city aims to promote the idea of “turning water recycling centers into small urban water reservoirs” in other water recycling centers in order to build Taichung into a water-saving city and maintain its environmental sustainability. It is also the city’s aspiration that the stable water supply will attract more industries to invest in Taichung.
Director of Water Resources Bureau Fan Shi-yi explained that, upon completion of this project, the city would be able to supply a maximum of 105,000 tons of reclaimed water to Taichung Port Industrial Zone each day, with a supply of 58,000 tons of reclaimed water in early days of the project in 2026. It will help to stabilize the water source for industrial use and prevent the domestic water system from being affected by the industries’ demand for water. This can largely reduce the risk of water shortage and promote sustainable water resources, implementing the policy of “using every drop of water at least twice”. In addition, the manufacturers’ willingness to “root in Taichung” will also increase, making the government, enterprises and private sectors all winners.
In addition, to keep flexibility in water conveyance, this project will keep 6 sewer connection points for nearby industrial zones; and have 7 smart water fetching facilities installed for public use as a good return to the local community. The construction area will have a band distribution and be equipped with an advanced occupational safety management system. The adoption of technological equipment for safety monitoring and management can facilitate the project’s progress and ensure its completion as scheduled.
Today’s event was participated by Deputy Mayor of Taichung City Huang Kuo-rong; Director General of Construction and Planning Agency, Ministry of the Interior Wu Hsin-hsou; Director of Sewage System Office Construction and Planning Agency, Ministry of the Interior Tseng Shu-chuan; Director of Water Resources Bureau Fan Shi-yi; Deputy Director General of Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Committee of Taichung City Wang Wen-hsing; Legislator Ho Hsin-ch un; and City Councilors Chiu Su-chen and Jang Jia-an. Legislators Lin Ching-yi and Huang Kuo-shu; and City Councilors Lin Meng-ling, Wu Chiung-hua, Cheng Kung-chin, Ho Min-cheng, Lee Chung and Lo Ting-wei also sent representatives. A number of manufacturers’ representatives and local village chiefs also attended this event.
(7/5*15) * Water Resources Bureau
Contact person: Mr. Lee, Water Resources Bureau, Taichung City Government
Contact No.: 04-22289111 Ext.53652