In order to further reduce pollution and improve river water quality on the present basis, the Environmental Protection Bureau, Taichung City Government held the Project “Year 2022 Taichung City River Pollution Total Mass Based Control, Water Control Fees Check and Collection, and Water Pollution Source Audit Project”, it is hoped that through the implementation of this project to formulate specially to promote the integration of environmental protection permits and Water Pollution Source Control Work. And we continue to cooperate with the Environmental Protection Administration to promote total mass Based control and water pollution control fees’ collection and verification operations and other works. And according to the city's river water characteristics and pollution sources, we actively promote control planning and accurately grasp the data of water pollution sources in the jurisdiction of the city to facilitate follow-up control operations.
The implementation period of this plan starts from the tender awarding date (January 4th , 2022) to December 31, 2022. The total implementation rate of each work item reached 100%, and the summary of the implementation results is as below:
A. Promoting the integration plan of environmental protection permits
1. Counseling priority trial object
This project had been completed 29 industries’ counseling (Year
2021) which are environmental protection permit integration trial
objects. Twenty-seven of industries had no other doubts about the
drawing method after counseling. And there were 24 operators who
had a positive attitude towards permit integration to improve
management effectiveness. Twenty-eight industries said that after
drawing the pollution flow map, they could clearly understand the
pollution situation in the factory area. Twenty-one industries agreed
that the pre-consultation and joint review mechanism can effectively
shorten the time limit for application permits. Twenty-five industries
said that the consultation and review mechanism can clearly
understand the review opinions and speed up the revision of permit
documents. Twenty-six industries support the integration plan of
environmental protection permits. Twenty-three industries expressed
their willingness to join pre-consultation and counseling when
proposing permit changes in the future.
2. Counseling to expand objects and draw pollution flow diagrams:
We had completed 90 industries’ counseling on drawing pollution flow maps. The highest proportion is 24.4% which are twenty-two industries accounted in the metal surface treatment industry. Second, there are fifteen industries which are the food manufacturing industries. Others are eleven which are classified as other industries. Forty-one industries with 3 different types of permit documents in the counseling of pollution flow map drawing are the most. There are thirty-three industries holding two different types of permit documents. Only sixteen industries hold four different types of permit documents.
3. Handling consultation and joint review operations and filing:
Pre-consultation counseling we currently handled total four cases. Only one case completed the pre-counseling assignment within the specified time. The joint review mechanism we implemented total twenty cases. Only two cases failed to complete the review within the specified time.
4. Single Window Operation Execution Method:
The single window of this project actively tracks whether there are new cases in EMS every day. Moreover, during the working hours, in addition to tracking the progress of former cases, we actively reminded the review unit of the time limit for case review.
5. Internal education and training of Environmental protection permit integration:
On March 28, 2022, twe invited reviewers from various departments of EPB to hold the " Internal Education Training of Environmental Protection Permit Integration and Environmental Protection Permit Integration Consulting Joint Review Procedure Operating Principles Discussion Meeting". There were four conclusions from the meeting as following:
(1) Days of pre-consultation process Year 2022: The principle is the same as last year. Compilation of the opinions of each review unit will be completed within 3 days after the case is accepted. After that, we complete the industries’ consultation meeting within 7 days.
(2) Days of the joint review process in Year 2022: The review days for each review unit wss adjusted to four days. Days for collecting opinions in the single window remains one day. Days for holding internal discussions within the review unit remained for three days. Days to complete the c(3) For the industries in the Central Science Park, we maintained the Central Science Park Administration as a single window for the integration of environmental protection permits; we expected to adjust the tutoring list be mainly based on industries outside the zone (Central Science Park, and Export Processing Zone, Ministry of Economic Affairs). Businesses in the Export Processing Zone of the Ministry of Economic Affairs entered into the integration of environmental protection permits according to their demands.
onvening of the joint review of the industries was adjusted to seven days.
(4) Each review unit should take the initiative to inform the single window personnel if the contact window is changed. In addition, all contact windows must submit review comments within the prescribed time limit.
6. The Explanation Session of Environmental Permit Integration:
This project held an environmental protection permit integration briefing session on the morning (afternoon) of April 25, and the morning of April 26, 2022. In the meeting, the EPA's concept of promoting the integration of environmental protection permits was conveyed, and the industries were taught to draw a schematic diagram of pollution flow and at the same time we combined it with on-site drawing guidance. Affected by the Covid-19 epidemic this year, the number of invited industries is 180. Attended 75 industries, with an attendance rate of 41.6%.
7. Permit review, issuance and filing:
Total 2,214 sub-license applications had been accepted under this project, and 1,762 review cases were completed. Among those cases, new applications for runoff wastewater, changes in surface water discharge permits, and extensions/changes of simple discharge permit documents were the most, counted total 882 cases.
B. Strengthen the inspection and control of water pollution sources
1.In-depth Inspections:
Five in-depth inspections were carried out in this project, and two violators were seized. The violations were that the operating parameter record did not match the permit for one industry. And COD value failed to meet the current discharge water standard for one industry. They violated Article 20, Item 1 and Article 7, Item 1 of the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law respectively, with a cumulative penalty of NTD$ 360,000.
2. Functional diagnosis of industrial wastewater treatment facilities:
We completed five industries for functional diagnosis and counseling of industrial wastewater treatment facilities. One of them failed to meet the current discharge water standards, and we had submitted the relevant results to the EPA for consideration. The other four industries had all completed the review work. There was no abnormal situation after re-inspection. We who execute the project will also continue to track the improvement progress of each industry unit.
3.Industrial General Inspections:
There were total 225 general inspections for the implementation of this project, of which three were the most missing in the daily record of water volume. The second is that the water volume measurement facilities have not been corrected for two industries.
C. Water Quality Inspection and Analysis of Total Mass Based Control Area and Zhancuoyuan Canal
This project completed the on-site inspection of the listed enterprises in the Total Mass Based Control Area and the surrounding area, and the sewage and sewer system in the industrial area in Year 2022. And we carried out raw wastewater and discharge water (or final treatment unit before release) water quality sampling and sending for inspection of 50 industries. As a result of the analysis, three of the raw water samples were inspected that contained heavy metal items which were not listed in the permit. In terms of discharge water that did not meet the current standards, there were 19 industries exceeding the standards. According to the monitoring plan for water quality and the Total Mass Based Control of receiving water in Zhancuoyuan Canal, which was specially protected by the EPB, this project entrusted a qualified testing company certified by EPA. The four seasons of sampling and inspecting had been completed in February, April, July and October of 2022 respectively, and the total number of monitoring points completed was 45 points. This year, the water quality of the receiving water body near Zhancuoyuan Canal all meeted the water quality standard for irrigation water.
D. Handle Other Management-related Work
1. Management of Periodic Inspection Application Data Review:
Taichung City had a total of 3,176 applications for regular inspections, 3,085 applications had been completed, and the application rate was 97.1%. In the review of the regular inspection declaration for the implementation of this project, 2,849 cases were reviewed and approved, and the review and approval rate was 92.3%.
2. Assistance in the Collection of Water Pollution Prevention and Control fees:
The 11101st period (2021.07~2021.12) should be declared as 893 industries, and the 11107th period (2022.01~2022.06) should be declared as 882 industries. Total 1,775 businesses should declare and pay the water pollution prevention and control fees. In the end of October, both the declaration rate and the collection rate reached 100%. In addition, the EPA had checked the Year 2021 water pollution prevention and control fees on inspection exception list, and total 36 industries had completed the inspection.
3. Review and Connection of Automatic Monitoring (viewing) and Connection Transmission System:
This year water quality and quantity automatic monitoring (viewing) facilities and connection transmission objects, total 83 industries in the jurisdiction had set up automatic monitoring (viewing) and connection transmission facilities. The total amount of discharged water by the monitored objects was 24.923462 CMD, accounting for more than 95.7% of the total discharge of the city's listed management enterprises. We had completed 73 review assignments this year.
4. Cooperate with the EPA’s to carry out the assessment of the water pollution visa business of environmental technicians:
Cooperate with the Environmental Protection Agency in the assessment of environmental engineering technicians to implement the water pollution visa business assessment project, assist in the audit planning, on-site audit operations, review meetings and upload of audit results, etc. In the first half of the year 2022, the EPA audited six industries and checked five industries in the second half of the year. This project had completed eleven audits. The results of the audit were as below: Among them, five industries’ missing counting points were classified to the first level, and informing letters had been sent to the inspected technicians to supervise and improve the quality of visas. The other six industries’ missing counting points were classified to the second level, and we will strengthened the tracking, and they will be listed as priority inspection targets next year.
5. Counseling industries’ application for voluntary reduction of effluent concentration, ammonia nitrogen or heavy metals:
According to the announcement of the EPA this year (2022), the specific objects of ammonia nitrogen or heavy metals were strictly controlled. And we counseled industries’ application for voluntary reduction (or management) plan of effluent concentration. This year, this project had completed two industries’ independent reduction on ammonia nitrogen.
