Taipei Water Department

The Taipei Water Department is committed to transforming Taipei into a city with a sustainable and secure water supply. Between 2023 and 2024, the Taipei Water Department has achieved significant milestones, including activating the Feitsui raw water supply tunnel, upgrading seismic resilience for water pipeline bridges, enhancing highland water supply, and launching seasonal-themed activities at water parks. These efforts have gained international recognition, earning the International Water Association IWA Climate Smart Utilities Recognition (Most Inspiring) and the ESRI Special Achievement in GIS Awards. The Taipei Water Department remains steadfast in ensuring a reliable and sustainable water supply for the city’s residents.

Under the leadership of Mayor Chiang Wan-an, the Taipei Water Department has prioritized strengthening water infrastructure to address challenges posed by earthquakes and extreme weather conditions. In June 2024, following the activation of the Feitsui raw water supply tunnel, the system enabled the extraction of 12.94 million tons of low-turbidity raw water from the Feitsui Reservoir during typhoons Gaemi, Krathon and Kong-rey. This measure significantly reduced the costs and time associated with water treatment, ensuring a stable supply of high-quality water in both quantity and quality to the greater Taipei area. Additionally, in 2023, seismic resilience upgrades were completed for four major water pipeline bridges, with a total daily water transmission capacity of 2.7 million tons. These bridges are now equipped to withstand seismic events of up to magnitude 6 on the Richter scale, enhancing the durability and reliability of Taipei's water infrastructure.

In its efforts to improve the water distribution network and ensure reliable water supply to highland areas, the Taipei Water Department has successfully reduced the leakage rate within its jurisdiction from 11.2% at the end of 2022 to 10.31% by the end of 2024. This two-year initiative saved a cumulative 18.25 million tons of water. To further safeguard the water rights of residents in remote highland areas and encourage unconnected households to apply for water service, the maximum subsidy for household connection improvement was increased from NT$600,000 to NT$900,000 in 2023. Additionally, the connection fee for new external water pipelines was reduced by 50% in 2024. Between 2023 and 2024, several remote areas were successfully connected to the water supply system. These included Hutian Borough near Xiaoyoukeng Bridge in Beitou District, Zhinan Borough and Zhengda Borough in Wenshan District, Dahu Borough in Neihu District, entrance of Lane 28, Pingdeng Borough in Shilin District, and Lane 2 of Sec. 2, Yangde Boulevard. In total, 195 households gained access to clean water during this period. The Taipei Water Department also expanded its seasonal events at the Taipei Water Park, previously focused on the Taipei Water Festival in summer and Gongguan Christmas Season in winter. New additions included the Cypher Tournament in spring and the ChillOut Festival in autumn. These initiatives, achieved through public-private collaboration, enriched offerings for diverse audiences and boosted the overall vitality of the Gongguan commercial district. The Taipei Water Park received the Ministry of Environment’s Excellence Award in Environmental Education Facilities and Venues in 2024, further highlighting its outstanding performance.

Entrusted with the vital responsibility of ensuring water supply for the livelihoods and economic growth of the greater Taipei area, the Taipei Water Department continues to enhance its network improvements and adopt smart management practices. These efforts aim to stabilize regional water supply and maximize resource efficiency. For highland water supply improvements, projects in areas such as Zhuhai Road and Shaogengliao in Beitou District; Jiananshan in Bei’an Borough, Zhongshan District; and Xishan Borough, Pingdeng Borough, and Dongshan Community in Shilin District are slated for completion between 2025 and 2026. To bolster resilience and emergency response capabilities, the department is systematically upgrading facilities, enhancing water intake, purification, and supply backup systems, and increasing the number of disaster-prevention wells to strengthen emergency water supply systems.

The Taipei Water Department is also advancing the Taipei Water Park Paradise project. Scheduled for completion in 2026, the Gongguan Building Complex will house newly established monitoring, information and customer service centers to improve service efficiency and disaster response. The project also includes a commercial office tower designed to attract businesses and professionals, as well as spaces for public use, including the Taipei Literature Museum, the Taipei Good Water Museum and a landscaped plaza. These additions aim to provide cultural, educational, and recreational venues for the community, revitalizing Gongguan and driving local development.

The Taipei Water Department remains steadfast in carrying out Mayor Chiang’s vision of a service-oriented government, actively enhancing service quality, water supply resilience and emergency response capabilities. This commitment ensures safe and reliable water supply for residents, delivering reassuring and sustainable high-quality water to the people of Taipei.