The EPA preannounced revisions to the Effluent Standards Article 2 and Article 2.1 for the second time on 4 January 2019. In order to strengthen controls on dioxin emissions, the EPA made revisions to the required conditions for enterprises with incinerating facilities, in addition to the revised content in the first preannouncement.
Enterprises using incinerators and those that reduce air pollution through wet or semi-dry scrubbing systems, regardless of whether scrubbing produces wastewater, still risk producing effluent water containing dioxins. As such, the EPA revised the applicable conditions for the Effluent Standards, thus emphasizing the necessity for controlling dioxin emissions found in effluent water.
The EPA emphasized that dioxins are harmful chemical substances of high public concern, also listed by the Stockholm Convention as a persistent organic pollutant (POP). In order to safeguard the environment and respond to public demands, the EPA urges enterprises to operate wastewater treatment facilities properly and improve the quality of Taiwan’s waterbodies. This effort is accomplished by managing control items as well as limits on effluent water applicable to enterprises at risk of polluting. The EPA appeals to enterprises to ensure their compliance with the laws and regulations. Violators in major incidents of waterbody and soil pollution will be punished based on the Water Pollution Control Act, which will deter others from testing the law.