In order to prevent and remediate soil and groundwater pollution, ensure the sustainable use of land and groundwater resources, and protect national health, the Environmental Protection Agency has, since the Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control Act of 1989 (hereinafter referred to as the Soil Pollution Law), completed a comprehensive verbal survey, investigation, and preparation of related management mechanisms or handed over to other competent authorities for independent management and achieved set goals on the following areas: agricultural land, gas stations, large-scale storage tanks, air stations, military and state-owned land, and illegal dump sites, and other types of projects. The investigation strategy of factory types and sites is managed through projects such as abandoned factories, factories in operation, industrial areas, and high pollution risk businesses (announced by the EPA), to achieve the goal of sustainable development in the country.
In this project of “Investigation Plan for Potential Environmental Site Assessment (Phase II) of Soil and Groundwater Pollution,” a total of 76 abandoned factories were selected and investigated in 2017 based on previous Phase I Environmental Site Assessment results. In order to complete investigation of the remaining abandoned factories with higher pollution potential, additional 200 abandoned factories were selected for investigation in the continuing project “Investigation Plan for Potential Environmental Site Assessment (Phase II) of Soil and Groundwater Pollution” (hereinafter referred to as “the Project”).
Among all 200 sites in the investigation list, the Project has completed the investigations of 198 sites, in which 19 sites exceeded the soil pollution control standards and contained mostly by heavy metals pollutants, such as copper and nickel. Three sites exceeded the second category groundwater pollution control standards and had mainly chlorine-containing organic compounds and total petroleum hydrocarbons. To support the authority to conduct such measures, such as administrative controls and contaminants source tracking, the Project has provided relevant suggestions based on the investigation and verification results in each location and operating features of the factories according to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) regulations.
As for the administrative and technical support, the analytical results of the investigation and verification of each sampling point were imported into the information system designated by the EPA. In addition, the Project also maintained the system and handheld devices in good working conditions, and it carried out the integration of the “National Abandoned Factory Land Quality Management System” and “Operation Medium and High Pollution Potential Factory Soil and Water Pollution Management System.” The Project integrated the information of management systems of operating factories and abandoned factories. Furthermore, the soil and groundwater investigation guideline for abandoned factories was updated with latest information, in which recommendations were also added. Case studies from Australia, the EU, Japan, the UK, and the US were collected and analyzed to make recommendations for our existing management strategies.
