Turn wastewater into gold! The 4.12 billion recycled water project will be supplied to Zhonglong Steel first and then to TSMC.

The "Futian Water Resources Recycling Center's discharged water recycling and reuse turnkey project" held a water opening ceremony today to create the country's largest "urban small reservoir" in Central Taiwan. (Photo by reporter Cai Shuyuan)

[Reporter Cai Shuyuan/Taichung Report] The NT$4.12 billion "Futian Water Resources Recycling Center Flow Water Recycling Turnkey Project" held a water opening ceremony today to create the country's largest "urban small reservoir" in central Taiwan. After five years of construction, a 28.4-kilometer stretch of water was built from the urban area. The raw water pipeline goes to the Taichung Port Industrial Zone, where domestic sewage is properly recovered and then purified into recycled water for industrial use. Currently, Zhonglong Steel uses 58,000 tons per day, saving tap water for people's livelihood and generating an annual revenue of 70 million for the public treasury, achieving a win-win goal of water use for industry and people's livelihood.

Director of Water Resources Fan Shiyi said that the Futian Reclaimed Water Project has been officially put into operation and can provide 88,000 tons of recycled water every day, with a maximum amount of 102,000 tons. This will allow Taichung to provide more recycled water for industrial use during the dry season, reduce the use of tap water, and allow tap water to be diverted to people's livelihood. In the future, after the completion of the second phase of the Futian Reclaimed Water Plant, it will be provided for the second phase of Zhongke.

The Futian reclaimed water project will start attracting investment and is expected to start construction as soon as the end of next year, which will provide TSMC with more than 70,000 tons of reclaimed water.

The Futian Reclaimed Water Project properly recycles domestic sewage and then purifies it into recycled water. (Photo by reporter Cai Shuyuan)

Zhou Shiming, Deputy Chief Engineering Department of the Land Management Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior, also said that this time the Executive Yuan approved and promoted the major public sewage discharge water recycling and reuse demonstration plan, the total project funding reached 4.12 billion yuan, of which the central government subsidy is about 3.79 billion yuan. The domestic sewage will be properly recycled and reprocessed into reusable renewable water resources. During the dry season, the resilience of water supply resource scheduling will be better exerted, and tap water will be given priority to people's use, achieving the win-win goal of not competing for water for industry and people's livelihood.

The water transmission pipeline of the Futian Reclaimed Water Project spans Nan District, Wuri District, Dadu District and Longjing District. It must pass through Han Creek, Paizi Creek, and major facilities such as the High-Speed ​​Rail, Taiwan Railway, National Highway 1 and National Highway 3. The construction team adapted to local conditions and used multiple construction methods such as underground propulsion, open excavation and water pipe bridges to overcome construction challenges. They also took advantage of Taichung's terrain elevation difference and used gravity flow to transport reclaimed water. The water can be supplied without additional pressure, which has the benefits of energy conservation and carbon reduction.

In order to expand the utilization efficiency of recycled water, water connection points have been reserved in adjacent industrial zones and industrial parks along the project route to meet future industrial water needs, and 7 smart water stations have been set up for the public to draw water during droughts to improve water resource dispatch and adaptability.

Zhou Shiming also said that President Lai Ching-te has specifically listed water management as the core of national strategy. The Executive Yuan has currently approved 16 domestic recycled water plants (8 are currently supplying water and 8 are under construction planning). Through inter-ministerial cooperation with local governments, the overall drought prevention and water supply resilience will be improved to ensure stable water supply for industry and people's livelihood.