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The Environmental Protection Administration Executive Yuan, R.O.C Taiwan will implement stricter and new release water standards on January 1, 2021. In order to improve the quality of water and reduce the risk of agricultural land pollution, it will revise control items such as true color, heavy metals, ammonia nitrogen, and harmful substances. According to the “Water Pollution Prevention and Control Act Business Classification and Definition”, there are 64 types of industries under control (Note 1 Environmental Protection Department, Executive Yuan-Announcements and Meetings).

In order to reduce the total amount of ammonia nitrogen emissions, the ammonia nitrogen control items have been established for five businesses including the metal surface treatment industry, Eeectroplating industry, the raw hides of the tanning industry are made into finished hides, landfills, and power plant, as well as the sewage sewer system of Industrial zone outside the petrochemical specialized zone. The regulation of ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen of the public sewage sewer system is updated. (Note 2 Water Quality Protection Website)

When high-chroma wastewater is discharged into water bodies, it often causes discoloration of water bodies (such as rivers) and affects public perception. The EPA has imposed strict controls on true color and chroma limitsfor 23 types of businesses including the leather industry and sewer systems in industrial areas, and added free and effective residual chlorine control items to prevent operators from damaging water organisms by adding excessive bleach. (Note 2 Water Quality Protection Website)

Stricter and new controls on “Ammonia Nitrogen” and “True Color” will be applied in 2021

Optoelectronic materials and components manufacturing

Petrochemical industry

Chemical industry

Metal basic industry, metal surface treatment industry, electroplating industry, printed circuit board manufacturing

Power plant

Pharmaceutical manufacturing and agrochemicals, 17 businesses in total

Tanning industry (making the raw hides into finished hides), landfills

Science industrial park, petrochemical professional zone

Other industrial zones

Public sewage sewer system (applicable flow is greater than 250 CMD)

In addition to the tightening and new addition of ammonia nitrogen and true color to the above businesses, there have also been related heavy metals and hazardous substances regulations starting from 2021, which includes the following businesses:

“Wafer Manufacturing and Semiconductor Manufacturing”
“Optical Materials and Component Manufacturing”
“Pesticide, environmental sanitation medicine manufacturing and other industries”
“Petrochemical Professional Zone”

The heavy metal tightening projects include nine control limits: cadmium, lead, total chromium, hexavalent chromium, copper, zinc, nickel, selenium, and arsenic. The control limits are differentiated according to the scale of the discharged water, and the relevant regulations of the US Federal Environmental Protection Agency are also referenced to tighten the control limits of other heavy metals.

To further improve the overall water quality in Taiwan, the EPA of the Executive Yuan issued regulations to tighten control and add some specific industries in 2024 and 2027. Detailed control items can be viewed on the website of the EPA of the Executive Yuan.