Taiwan amends water pollution prevention regulation to include PFCs testing requirements 
On January 20, 2025, the Ministry of Taiwan released the amendment to the “Water pollution control measures and test reporting management regulations”. The amendment was made to strengthen the management of PFCs (PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS), etc., and added a provision requiring designated businesses to test and report on PFCs annually. In addition, a provision has been added to exempt testing of reclaimed water from reporting requirements. The amendment is effective on the date of promulgation, except for provisions with a separate effective date, such as the PFC management provisions.
Requirements for PFCS
To strengthen the management of PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals) and other substances, a provision has been added to Article 84-3 requiring designated businesses to conduct annual testing and reporting of target substances. If the above-mentioned test results in two consecutive tests exceeding the discharge values specified in Table 6, the business must submit a voluntary reduction management plan to the authorities within three months. However, if the test results in three or more consecutive tests that do not exceed the discharge values specified in Table 6, the business is exempt from reporting the testing for that test item. The table below is an excerpt from Table 6, which specifies the covered businesses and the frequency of testing.
| Designated business | Regulated pollutants | Test frequency | Effective date | Discharge value (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated wastewater sewer systems for science and technology industrial parks and industrial zones
Wafer and semiconductor manufacturing industries, and optoelectronic and component manufacturing industries that discharge wastewater into surface water systems and use photoresist in the manufacturing processes. Electroplating and metal surface treatment industries discharge wastewater into surface water systems and use chrome mist inhibitors in the manufacturing processes. Printing and dyeing industries, textile industry, leather industry, paper industry, and chemical industry that discharge wastewater into surface water systems and use water repellents or chemicals with water repellent properties in the manufacturing processes. |
PFCs | PFOS | Test once a year for unprocessed waste water and discharge water | January 1, 2027※ | 0.00012 |
| PFOA | 0.0017 | ||||
| PFHxS | 0.0021 | ||||
※The effective date of the amendment has been delayed one year from the date specified in the draft, which was January 1, 2026.
Addition of provisions regarding exemption from reporting inspections of recovered water
A provision has been added that exempts businesses from reporting inspections of water quality and quantity when wastewater (effluent) is recovered and used in manufacturing processes or in washing towers or other pollution prevention equipment, and the recovered water is treated in a wastewater (effluent) treatment facility (Article 79).
In addition, the amendment also includes a new provision requiring that, in industries such as paper manufacturing and petrochemicals, where the chemical oxygen demand concentration is 2,000 mg/L or more and the permitted wastewater volume per day is 1,000 m3 or more, or the chemical oxygen demand load per day is 2 tons or more, to first implement the best available control technology, such as anaerobic treatment (for details, see Article 29-12 and Appendix 5 of the original text).
For the original text, please refer to the following URL (in traditional Chinese).
https://enews.moenv.gov.tw/Page/3B3C62C78849F32F/172ce400-03e5-419a-adc7-2e252b6975a1
