Control Yuan Censures Keelung City Government for Failed River Water Quality Improvement Projects

According to a report by Central News Agency, the Control Yuan announced today that Keelung City's Environmental Protection Bureau's Hsüchuan River water quality improvement project and Tienliao River water quality improvement project failed to function properly after completion, requiring approximately NT$8.21 million in public funds to be spent on repair contracts. The facilities have yet to fulfill their intended functions, prompting the Control Yuan to censure the Keelung City Government and demand disciplinary action against responsible officials in the Environmental Protection Bureau.

Control Yuan members Chen Jing-jun, Kuo Wen-tung, and Chang Chu-fang stated in a press release that during the construction of the Hsüchuan River on-site water treatment project, the contractor Chiao Fu Construction failed to follow contract specifications in 39 instances involving electromechanical equipment and civil engineering works, with some items not constructed at all. Despite this, inspection personnel approved the work as compliant and authorized final payment, indicating that the Keelung City Environmental Protection Bureau failed to establish proper inspection standards under the Government Procurement Act and neglected segmented inspections and final acceptance procedures.

The Control Yuan noted that the then-director, deputy director, and chief engineer of the Environmental Protection Bureau had supervisory responsibilities but failed to correct these issues in a timely manner, demonstrating a lack of due diligence in procurement oversight. The Hsüchuan River water treatment facility, accepted on April 22, 2022, could not operate normally afterward. Management did not hold review meetings to identify problems until March 2023, when numerous equipment failures and unconstructed components were discovered.

Furthermore, Chiao Fu Construction refused to return for repairs and failed to fulfill contractual obligations such as operation testing and performance evaluation. Keelung's environmental officials also failed to enforce contractual and legal accountability against Chiao Fu Construction and the supervising firm AECOM Taiwan, resulting in additional repair contracts costing over NT$4.06 million. This rendered the NT$75.15 million Hsüchuan River facility unusable after completion.

Although continuous improvements have increased the average daily wastewater treatment volume from December 2025 to February this year to 1,500 tons, it remains significantly below the design capacity of 4,500 tons, indicating that the facility has not achieved its intended functionality.

Similarly, the Tienliao River on-site water treatment and water environment enhancement project suffered comparable failures. The Tienliao River facility, completed on January 18, 2023, failed to pass final acceptance, necessitating additional repair contracts that cost over NT$4.15 million. Despite NT$84.27 million in investment, the facility remained non-operational. Although improvements have raised the daily treatment volume to 2,187 tons by February this year, it still falls short of the 3,400-ton design standard.

The Control Yuan emphasized that both projects were major public works exceeding NT$50 million under Keelung City's supervision, and their performance directly impacts public welfare. Due to falsified inspections, verifications, and acceptance procedures, the Keelung Audit Office has referred relevant personnel to the Keelung District Prosecutors Office for investigation. In addition to censuring the Keelung City Government, the Control Yuan has demanded that the city administration take disciplinary action against responsible officials in the Environmental Protection Bureau.