Taipei Water Department

The Taipei Water Department, fully committed to the principles of a service-oriented government and dedicated to the sustainable supply of high-quality Taipei water, has actively advanced the "Feitsui Raw Water Supply Tunnel Project." Since construction commenced in July 2019, spanning five years of continuous effort, the Taipei Water Department's engineering team has worked tirelessly day and night. Today, on the 20th, the pipeline has officially commenced operations, marking a significant milestone for the project. In the event of elevated turbidity in the Nanshi River's raw water due to typhoons and heavy rainfall, the system will now be capable of directly utilizing low-turbidity water from the Feitsui Reservoir. This ensures the safety and reliability of water supply for both residential and industrial needs. During today's inauguration ceremony, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an and Director-General Lai Chien-hsin of the Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, underscored the project's significance in enhancing water resilience amidst climate challenges.

The Taipei Water Department noted that in recent years, climate change has led to extreme rainfall, causing raw water turbidity to become an increasingly prevalent issue. In 2015, Typhoon Soudelor turned the Nanshi River into a muddy torrent with a turbidity level reaching a record 39,300 NTU, severely affecting the Greater Taipei water supply system and causing incidents of yellowish muddy water. To address the impact of extreme climate conditions and enhance water supply resilience, the Taipei Water Department has promoted the Feitsui Raw Water Tunnel Project. The Feitsui Raw Water Supply Tunnel is approximately 2.8 kilometers long with an internal diameter of 4.5 meters and can transport up to 2.7 million tons of water daily. For safety and environmental impact reduction, the project adopted the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), which utilizes the self-supporting properties of the rock mass, instead of the faster drill-and-blast method. Despite encountering geological variations and hard rock formations, the construction team employed auxiliary methods to safely and steadily advance the project, completing this challenging task with the most eco-friendly construction methods to mitigate impact on the surrounding environment.

The Taipei Water Department stated that the commencement of the Feitsui Raw Water Tunnel today represents a significant advancement in ensuring the water security for the 6 million residents in the Greater Taipei area. Additionally, in coordination with the central government's "Banxin Area Water Supply Improvement Plan" and the "String of Pearls Project" for cross-regional joint water supply management, the Feitsui water supply support to New Taipei City has reached 53%. This enhances the stability of water supply scheduling for Greater Taipei, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu areas, alleviating water demand and pressure on the Shimen Reservoir. Taipei City strives for sustainable and inclusive growth, aiming to become a water-safe city and a robust supporter of socioeconomic development in northern Taiwan.