Tests show mains water safe following Keelung River oil spill: TWC

Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) Several rounds of flushing and water-quality tests confirmed that tap water polluted by an oil spill on the Keelung River now meets all safety standards, the Taiwan Water Corp. (TWC) said Sunday.

The TWC said it halted river-water intake immediately after Thursday's oil slick was detected near the Badu pumping station and switched to reservoir water, while deploying 286 personnel for system-wide flushing.

The incident affected households in Keelung's Ren'ai, Anle, Xinyi, Qidu and Zhongshan districts, as well as parts of New Taipei's Xizhi.

Meanwhile, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said the city has taken additional precautions, ordering comprehensive sampling at all 28 schools served by the Xingshan water treatment plant close to Xingshan Reservoir.

Schools supplied by the Nuannuan, Liudu and Anle water treatment plants showed no irregularities in initial checks, Hsieh said, adding that all school water tanks will be inspected and cleaned if needed.

He added that water trucks remain on standby to ensure an uninterrupted supply.

Keelung City Council Speaker Tung Tzu-wei (童子瑋) said TWC had begun formal school testing procedures, including draining and refilling water tanks before sampling.

On-site checks of pH, residual chlorine, turbidity, conductivity, total dissolved solids and odor have also been done, with all samples sent for confirmatory laboratory analysis ahead of students' return on Monday, Tung added.

TWC advised households that still notice residual odors, likely from water stored before flushing, to drain and clean tanks or flush taps.

The company also said it has launched a compensation plan offering reductions in water bills and reimbursement for professional tank cleaning.

Keelung's Environmental Protection Bureau has deployed containment booms, collected samples and asked police to help investigate the source of the pollution.

The bureau said that polluters could face fines between NT$60,000 (US$1,910) and NT$20 million under the Water Pollution Control Act.