Keelung: Keelung’s Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) on Monday fined state-run Taiwan Water Corp. (TWC) NT$500,000 (US$15,905) over an oil spill that contaminated the water supply to over 150,000 households. The city bureau said the fine was imposed under the Drinking Water Management Act for a serious violation that endangered public health and safety.

According to Focus Taiwan, EPB Director Ma Chung-hao stated that inspectors found one of the oil-film detectors at TWC’s Badu pumping station was malfunctioning, potentially delaying the detection of the contamination. The bureau is reviewing whether TWC’s equipment and emergency response deviated from its water pollution control plan, Ma added.

EPB personnel arrived at the site within 30 minutes of TWC’s report early Thursday, implementing pollution-control measures and daily water sampling at the Xinshan Water Treatment Plant, Xinshan Reservoir, and other areas. The EPB, police, and TWC continue to trace the source and will refer the case to prosecutors if any criminal wrongdoing is uncovered, Ma said.

Earlier Monday, Chen Chao-hsien, deputy director of TWC’s First Branch, noted the odor detection around 6 a.m. Thursday. Of the two oil-film detectors at the Badu intake, one was operational but failed to detect the spill due to weak early-morning light, while the second had been decommissioned and not yet removed. This was in response to Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang’s claim that both devices were faulty.

Chen mentioned that the odor was first noticed by workers at the Xinshan water treatment plant, leading to an immediate halt to river-water intake and a switch to Xinshan Reservoir. Patrols later discovered oil patches along the Keelung River. TWC is evaluating sensors capable of detecting dissolved pollutants, and river intake will remain suspended until the source is confirmed.

Oil traces were found near Chongzhi Bridge, Nuannuan Bridge, and the Dingnei gas station, where containment booms have been set up. The incident affected approximately 105,000 households in Keelung and 47,000 in New Taipei’s Xizhi District, the city government reported.

Meanwhile, Keelung Mayor Hsieh announced the city filed a report with the Keelung District Prosecutors Office on Monday afternoon, which has already initiated an investigation. Hsieh informed reporters that the city and the Ministry of Environment are investigating the source of the pollution, determining it is likely industrial-grade oil contamination.