Sewerage Systems Office

The Neihu Sewage Treatment Plant, which processes 200,000 tons of domestic sewage daily, is also dedicated to promoting environmental education. In 2023, it was certified by the Ministry of Environment as an “Environmental Education Facility” and launched two programs designed for elementary school students and more advanced learners. Continuing its efforts, the plant has also earned the Ministry of Environment’s Carbon Footprint Label, TAF laboratory accreditation, and the Ministry of Finance’s Golden Thumb Award. On May 1, 2025, the plant will debut its newest curriculum, Adventurous Water Drop, created specifically for senior high school and vocational students. Citizens of all ages are welcome to apply for guided tours and interactive learning experiences.Mr. Sheng-Tsung Hsiao, Director of the Neihu Sewage Treatment Plant, stated that the plant will launch its brand-new educational program, Adventurous Water Drop, on May 1, 2025. This program integrates perspectives from Feitsui Reservoir, the Taipei Water Department’s purification plant, and the sewage treatment process, giving visitors a comprehensive view of the water cycle, from upstream watershed conservation, to midstream purification and distribution, to downstream sewage treatment and water reclamation. In 2023, the Neihu Plant introduced two environmental education programs tailored to different age groups: The Magical House That Makes Water Clean, designed for elementary school students, and The Sustainable Magical House, a more advanced curriculum. Both programs use interactive and engaging teaching methods to explain the sewage treatment process and emphasize the importance of water resources.Director Hsiao further noted that in addition to launching the new program, the Neihu Sewage Treatment Plant is upgrading its audiovisual classroom used for environmental education. Enhancements include improved lighting, new seating and carpeting, and a redesigned podium to create a more comfortable learning environment. The renovation is scheduled for completion by the end of May 2025. During construction, visiting groups are encouraged to keep group sizes under 12. Courses will be held in a small meeting room or, alternatively, in front of the environmental education area on the first floor of the administrative building, with foldable chairs provided by the plant.The Sewerage Systems Office further added that that to provide a more diverse range of environmental education options, the Neihu Sewage Treatment Plant will officially join the “Taipei Water Journey” program this year (2025). Schools in Neihu, Songshan, Nangang, and Xinyi Districts are encouraged to participate and take advantage of the nearby location for convenient access. The program aspires to cultivate participants as “water resource ambassadors” who will share their knowledge and experiences with others—fostering a city-wide mindset of understanding, cherishing, and protecting water, and working together toward a more sustainable Taipei.Citizens of all ages are welcome to apply online to visit the Neihu Sewage Treatment Plant.Please submit your application through the Taipei City Government Public Venue Reservation System.For inquiries, feel free to call:02-8791-9494 ext. 158（Mr.Lin, Engineer)。

To deepen public awareness of water resource conservation, the Taipei City Government launched the “Taipei Water Journey” last year (2024), an environmental education program exclusively for Taipei elementary school students. The program, which integrates three major facilities (Taipei Water Park, Feitsui Reservoir, and the Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant) received an enthusiastic response for its engaging approach to teaching upper elementary students about the full cycle of household water use. This year (2025), the program is expanding to include junior high schools in Taipei City, offering nine itinerary options—all free of charge, including admission and guided lessons. Don’t wait—register online now and secure a spot for your class!Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant Director Tai-Tsung Huang shared that Taipei Water Journey features nine different routes combining visits to Feitsui Reservoir, Taipei Water Park, and Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant. Schools can select time slots and itinerary combinations based on their learning goals. With hands-on tours and expert guidance from certified environmental education instructors, students gain firsthand understanding of each stage in the urban water cycle—from source protection at Feitsui Reservoir and water treatment at the Taipei Water Department, to wastewater processing at the Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant. Through a multi-sensory experience that incorporates sight, smell, and sound, students come away with a deeper appreciation of the value of water resources.The Sewerage Systems Office further added that that to provide a more diverse range of environmental education options, the Neihu Sewage Treatment Plant will officially join the “Taipei Water Journey” program this year (2025). Schools in Neihu, Songshan, Nangang, and Xinyi Districts are encouraged to participate and take advantage of the nearby location for convenient access. The program aspires to cultivate participants as “water resource ambassadors” who will share their knowledge and experiences with others—fostering a city-wide mindset of understanding, cherishing, and protecting water, and working together toward a more sustainable Taipei.Taipei Water Journey Program Online Information:Program Details and Contact InformationTaipei Water Journey Environmental Education Reservations

To enhance elementary school students’ understanding of water environment protection, the Taipei City Government has launched the “Taipei Water Journey”, an environmental education program exclusively for Taipei City elementary schools. This initiative integrates three certified environmental education facilities: the Taipei Water Park, the Feitsui Reservoir Environmental Learning Center, and the Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant, offering a total of nine diverse program options. Through hands-on experiences and guided learning, students will explore the sources of household water, the basics of water treatment, and the sewage collection and treatment process, thus gaining a deeper appreciation for the water cycle. Taipei elementary schools are encouraged to register now. Full details are available on the “Taipei Water Journey” official website.Tai-Tsung Huang, Director of the Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant, noted that students will be guided by certified environmental education instructors from the Ministry of Environment. On-site, they will explore key facilities such as the deep aeration tanks, aeration agitators, and engage in real-time comparisons between raw and treated water, as well as wet and dried sludge. The course uses age-appropriate teaching tools and interactive explanations to ensure a dynamic and engaging learning experience.Teachers Mr. Chen and Ms. Lin from Zhongzheng Elementary School expressed their appreciation for the program, especially the effort of the instructors. They noted how the sensory experience—smelling the odors from household sewage, hearing the noise from machines, and observing the transformation of sludge after drying—gave students a deep and lasting impression of the challenges involved in sewage treatment. On behalf of the school, they presented a certificate of appreciation to the Sewerage Systems Office of the Public Works Department for providing such a meaningful learning opportunity and for helping instill water sustainability awareness in young children.The Sewerage Systems Office of the Public Works Department further stated that schools and institutions located outside of Taipei City are also welcome to apply for visits. Both the Dihua and Neihu Sewage Treatment Plants are certified environmental education facilities and offer customized programs for all age groups. These courses provide comprehensive insights into wastewater generation, collection, treatment, and reuse. Everyone is warmly invited to register and experience this unique environmental education program—an essential yet often overlooked aspect of municipal infrastructure—and join in efforts to improve Taipei’s water environment.Application Information:1.Citizen Service PlatformDihua Sewage Treatment Planthttps://service.gov.taipei/rental/VenueDetail/e1fabfea2753Neihu Sewage Treatment Planthttps://service.gov.taipei/rental/VenueDetail/6e1753279df52.Taipei Water Journey Environmental Education Program (Special program available exclusively to elementary schools within Taipei City):https://twpeec.water.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=9C5B68ECA3EE3C56&sms=EC4A96AA0FDC743C&s=C50CACA1C92A0E45

“The 17th Public Construction Golden Safety Award””Minsheng Water Regeneration Center and Sewer Environmental Education Center New Project”of The Sewerage Systems Office of the Public Works Department of Taipei City Government Taipei City Government  was highly recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, MOL. , won 「Public Construction Golden Safety Award」.

Taipei City won the championship again in 2022 national appraisal of sewerage construction. Taipei is the only city that has won both Excellence and Outstanding Performance awards. Listed among the top cities in all the 3 facets: Project execution and control, Construction Quality and Management, and Facilities Operations and Management, for comprehensive excellence in performance. Today, Director Cheng Pei-Chia of the Sewerage Systems Office presented this Excellence Award to Mayor Chiang in the 2240th Administrative Meeting.Mayor Chiang says, “the pipeline connection rate of Taipei sewerage has reached 81.37%, a national leading index for the construction item. Although the situation encountered for facing the users yet to be connected is getting tougher and tougher, we shall expect the SSO of the Public Works Department to persist in overcoming difficulties, for giving a better tomorrow to Taipei City’s environment. The subsequent sewerage construction comprises 2 key points: total autonomy in sewage treatment of the entire city by 2030 by breaking through user connection difficulties; elevating the user connection rate of the sewerage system to 90% by 2032.Director Cheng Pei-Chia says, although the users' pipeline connection to the sewerage system system has entered a bottleneck period, at the current stage, in addition to continuous developments for overcoming difficulties, a 12-year life expansion project for old sewage pipelines has been initiated as the first in Taiwan by way of excavation-free methods to prolong the service life of pipelines. At the same time, lean management is employed to provide citizen-perceptible services against easy to clog hot zones, effectively lowering repetitive clogs by preventive dredging, enterprise promotion, water quality audit and cross-department cooperation measures, with emphasis given to the existing Neihu and Dihua plants. We further set forth performance-oriented contracts, introduced ROT spirits for equipment renewal, and incorporated incentives for energy saving, replaced Labor Purchase with the concept of Service Purchase, hereby significantly improving the effectiveness of sewage treatment plants and provided citizens with better services and water environments.Director of SSO further notes, Taipei City is the only local government to set up a dedicated unit for sewerage systems, it values long-term construction of sewerage systems; via multi-layer inspection and feedback, searches ideas for breaking through traditional measures, sets forth and executes appropriate turn-key contracts, cooperates with building authorities for reporting illegal buildings, increases incentives and compensatory subsidies, and enforces statutes and versatile penalty measures for increasing user willingness for pipeline connection. Based on key points of national sewerage appraisal, execution and control of each item are accurately carried out for creating livable environments in Taipei City and for gradually achieving goals of sustained developments.

Taipei City has the highest coverage of sewerage systems in the country, its user connection ratio is also the highest. However, in the early years, some buildings, because their septic tank was installed in the basement, still needed to pump out night soil periodically after connecting to the sewerage system and paying the utilization fee; people complained often for being levied twice.In order to resolve the aforementioned issue, under directions of his superior, Mr. Yang initiated a pioneering proposal in 2009 for subsidizing users to modify their septic tank into a sewage pit. This subsidy was enforced since 2010 and continuously reviewed and revised; the range of eligible subjects expanded after respective revisions in 2012, 2019 and 2022, reflected price indexes by adjusting the subsidy amount, for meeting policy goals and citizen needs.In order to ensure independence of technical and administrative tasks, avoiding any concerns of self-benefiting actions, this service was moved to Citizen Service Platform from 2022 for on-line application, for relevant documents being reviewed on justice and fairness bases in transparent administrative procedures, with citizens being aware of all the subsidy results, thereby avoiding any improper actions.After increasing the subsidy amount and providing active guidance to communities requiring night soil removal, the subsidy gradually grew in the recent 3 years: 152 cases had been ratified (46 cases in 2020, 49 in 2021 and 57 in 2022); 225 septic tanks were discarded (46 in 2020, 49 in 2021 and 57 in 2022); and 4,475 users were connected. Obsoletion of septic tanks not only benefits in the saving of septic tank maintenance costs spent by citizens amounted from tens to hundreds of thousands NTD per year for sewage treatment, night soil pumping and motor power; it also resulted in gradual reduction of night soil quantity dumped into SSO’s dumping station; this significantly lowered operations and maintenance costs of the station and contributed in the saving of public funds.After carrying out septic tank obsolescence and sewerage pipeline connection, the SSO has processed 57 subsidy cases in 2022, which generated 1,877 connected users; calculated by 200L/day/person sewage and 2.36 person/household, a reduction of 886 ton directly discharged sewage is achieved every day. This is a significant contribution in the quality improvement of citizen’s living environment, the quality maintenance of public waters, and the creation of quality waterfront environments.