The most important rivers in Chiayi County (Puzi River, Beigang River, and Bazhang River) are mixed polluted rivers polluted by industrial, domestic sewage, and animal husbandry. In order to promote the pollution prevention and control of river basins, Chiayi County Environmental Protection Bureau entrusted GEGA ENGINEERS ＆ CONSULTANTS CO., LTD. to implement the "2023 Chiayi County Water Pollution Source Inspection Control and Water Pollution Fee Collection Review Plan" (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). During the implementation of the Plan, the monitoring and management of important river sections and potentially polluted areas within the jurisdiction will be strengthened, and efforts will be made to promote pollution elimination and water quality pollution improvement. The implementation period of this Plan was from January 01, 2023 to November 30, 2023, The planned work items include the management of industries pollution source permits, implementation of industries inspection operations, diagnosis and evaluation of wastewater treatment functions, collection of water pollution prevention and control fees, drinking water-related industries, operation and guidance of water environment patrol teams, promotion of domestic sewage pollution reduction, handling briefing sessions, and education and training of planners, etc.The implementation results of each task are described as follows:
1. Licensing management of industrial pollution sources
During the implementation of this Project, a total of 374 applications were accepted. This comprised 110 applications for various permits and 264 applications for runoff and wastewater reduction plans. The overall number of rejected applications was 119, resulting in a rejection rate of 31.8%. In contrast, in the year 2022, 344 applications were accepted, with a total of 169 rejected cases and a rejection rate of 49.1%. Comparatively, there is a decreasing trend in the rejection rate.
Additionally, out of the 374 applications for various licenses that were accepted, 358 have been approved or prepared, achieving an approval completion rate of 95.7%. Based on the statistics of the same application cases, the average total review period for this Project is 8.15 days. Furthermore, according to the statistics of review cases, 563 permit reviews have been completed, and the average review period for each case was 9.05 days.
On-site inspections were conducted for 20 license reviews, revealing inconsistencies in 14 of them compared to the content of the application documents. As of November 30, 2023, 11 companies have successfully implemented improvements and received approval 11 of them for the issuance of licenses. However, the remaining 3 companies had not completed the certification process at that time.
For industrial or sewage and sewer Systems, 316 declarations were completed within the specified periodic testing period. All 316 declarations were reviewed and approved, resulting in an overall approval rate of 100.0%.
There were a total of 2 inspections conducted for the environmental engineering technician certification, and the results indicated 1 deficiency at Level 1 and 1 deficiency at Level 2
The licensing integration business was promoted, involving 1 internal educational training and 2 licensing integration promotional briefings. Prof. Hsiao-Hsuan Mi. from Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science served as a lecturer during the meetings. A total of 48 enterprises were invited to participate in the 2 meetings, with a total of 72 participants. The participation rate reached 100%, and all 48 enterprises completed the drawing of pollution flow diagram, which were subsequently uploaded to the Environmental Protection Management Information System (EMS).
2. Inspection of industrial wastewater discharge
There were 614 industria inspections and 302 sampling cases conducted for the inspection of industrial wastewater discharge. Eight cases of violations of the Water and Pollution Law were discovered, resulting in a sanction amount of NTD594,000.
We commissioned experts and scholars to conduct in-depth audits and guidance for 10 companies. Six of them have completed improvements based on the committee's opinions, while the other four have not yet completed improvements. This Project continues to monitor the progress of improvements. In addition, we conducted a diagnosis and guidance operation for the wastewater treatment functions of six companies. In March, we conducted an initial assessment, followed by a re-evaluation in May. In July, a diagnostic negotiation meeting was held, and the commitments made by the companies in accordance with the meeting conclusions were subsequently tracked. Among these six companies, one did not require improvement, and five committed to making improvements. As of November 30, three companies have completed improvements, while the remaining two have not completed improvements due to changes in permit documents.
For the industry with intensified regulation on ammonia nitrogen in 2024, comprising 22 enterprises discharging wastewater into surface water bodies, we enhanced inspection and sampling efforts, conducting a total of 39 inspections and samples. The test results all complied with the standard limits for discharged water.
3. Operation of floating water quality sensors or scientific tools
This Project utilizes floating water quality sensors and scientific tools for 24-hour continuous monitoring of water quality, totaling 399 monitoring instances. No abnormalities occurred during the monitoring period. Additionally, a water color camera was installed, and no anomalies were observed during the surveillance period.
4. Inspection of heavy metal pollution in water discharged from non-managed enterprises in coastal areas
Investigations were conducted or unlisted businesses in coastal areas such as Dongshi Township, Budai Town, and Yizhu Township within the county, and those with the risk of generating industrial wastewater containing heavy metals. A total of 13 enterprises were investigated, and the results indicated that none of them fell under the definition and classification of enterprises regulated by the Water Pollution Control Act.
5. Handling the verification of entrusted industrial zone
The first entrusted verification consultation meeting was held on May 29, 2023. Two proposals were presented at the meeting: Proposal 1 "Discussion on the effectiveness of joint inspections in industrial zones" and Proposal 2 "Control of the amount of waste (sewage) pollution from businesses within industrial zones." After discussion, the following resolutions were made: (1) For joint inspections with good effectiveness, the frequency will be increased to once per quarter in the future; (2) Each industrial zone is requested to notify the Environmental Protection Bureau when conducting sampling for high-pollution industries. The second meeting was held on November 21, 2023, with two proposals presented: "Business water and fertilizer within the industrial zone will be uniformly collected and processed by the sewage plant" and "Regular reporting in industrial zones and procedures for reporting anomalies and responses in industrial zones."
6. Management related to drinking water.
558 tap water quality inspections were completed, with 557 meeting drinking water quality standards and 1 not meeting standards. Additionally, 62 non-tap water quality inspections were conducted, and the results for all 62 locations did not meet drinking water quality standards. The Environmental Protection Agency issued a letter notifying township, town, and city offices and relevant units to enhance publicity on drinking water safety instructions. Furthermore, 34 samples of water source quality were collected at 11 water purification plants and 5 pressurization stations within the jurisdiction, and all test results were compliant with standards. Inspections of 308 water dispenser locations revealed that all were in compliance with regulations. In addition, 144 water dispenser water quality inspections were conducted, and all results met the standards. The review of 280 new land code cases was completed, with 169 located within drinking water protection zones. An inspection of 23 camping areas within the jurisdiction's drinking water source quality protection zones found that 16 had sewage treatment facilities, and 7 had structured sewage treatment facilities, with no wastewater discharge in any of them.
7. Assisting in the implementation of the Chiayi County Water Environment Patrol Volunteer Service Program.
The Water Environment Patrol Team consists of 24 teams with a total of 731 members. To enhance the efficiency of the Chiayi County Water Environment Patrol Team and ensure better understanding of the Environmental Protection Department's policy implementation direction, this Project assists each team in organizing work review meetings, discussions, educational training, and publicity activities. These efforts effectively communicate relevant assessment matters and the current implementation strategies of the Environmental Protection Department. Additionally, they strengthen the understanding and cohesion of each team member regarding the patrol team's activities, highlighting the performance of the Chiayi County River Patrol Team. A total of 175 related activities were conducted, involving 2,542 participants.
According to statistics, the Water Environment Protection Network reported a total of 77 cases, all of which have been transferred to the responsible units for processing, resulting in a processing rate of 100%. The program also assisted in managing 100 activities related to clean streams, clean rivers, and environmental rectification, engaging 3,227 participants. Additionally, the initiative led to the removal of approximately 30,866 kg of general garbage and the recovery of approximately 963 kg of resources.
The "First 2023 Xunjia River Characteristic Operations Contact Symposium" was conducted, featuring guidance from the Chiayi County Fire Department on rescue bandaging techniques and vital sign assessment courses. The aim was to enhance volunteers' rescue capabilities, thereby reducing injuries during rescue operations. Two sessions of basic and special training were provided for volunteers, with a total of 77 individuals trained. This initiative is expected to bring new strength to the subsequent patrol team.
Organize the "Yunjiajia Basin Water Environment Patrol and Conservation Exchange Meeting" to facilitate discussions on the collaborative management of pollution hotspots within the basin across counties and cities. The goal is to enhance communication channels for pollution prevention and control at the junctions of counties and cities, achieve joint inspection and patrol objectives, and improve actions and strategies for maintaining and managing the water environment.
8. Inspection and reminder of water and sewage fee collection
The collection lists for the second period of 2022 and the first period of 2023 were 353 and 355 respectively. During the declaration period, the number of telephone reminders was 267 and 174 respectively. The declarations were completed within the time limit. For the first period of 2023, one company did not make a declaration, and it has gone out of business due to poor operation. The case has been completed and the accounting has been completed. The payment amounts were NTD 2,946,624 and NTD 2,894,378, respectively. The total amount of water pollution fees collected in this (2023) year was NTD 5,841,002 yuan.
9. Other cooperation matters
The education and training for inspectors were carried out on March 30, and the education and training for license reviewers was organized on March 27. The filming of the domestic sewage pollution reduction promotional video was completed on April 21, and the result video was submitted on May 10. Additionally, 10 domestic sewage reduction publicity sessions and 12 domestic sewage reduction publicity videos in public places were played. Furthermore, 2 legal briefings on water pollution prevention and control laws were conducted.
