No Leniency: 59 Businesses Fined NT$3.72 Million for Dumping Wastewater Into Changhua’s Dongluo Creek

The golden flowers along Changhua’s Dongluo Creek attract visitors every autumn, but the smell of pig manure has often competed with the scenery. Ahead of this year’s Lianlian Golden Flame Tree Festival, the county environmental bureau launched a special inspection campaign aimed at stopping illegal livestock wastewater discharges.

The bureau has conducted 663 inspections of livestock farms along the creek so far this year. It found violations at 59 businesses and issued fines totaling NT$3.72 million. The campaign covers the creek’s upper and middle reaches, where pig farms are densely concentrated and the river has limited natural water flow.

Officials have also installed water-quality monitoring stations on key tributaries, alongside mobile remote sensors. The system monitors conditions around the clock. When the data shows an abnormal reading, inspectors can trace the pollution source and investigate suspected illegal discharges.

The bureau said it will continue helping farms convert livestock manure and wastewater into usable resources. It has also submitted a control plan to the central government that would impose stricter discharge standards, raise resource-recovery requirements and strengthen permit management for regulated livestock operations along Dongluo Creek.

Visitors have previously described the scenery as beautiful but complained that the odor spoiled their trips. The bureau warned that illegal discharges can bring penalties of up to NT$20 million and urged the public to report unusual smells or pollution through its 24-hour hotline.

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The scenery is very beautiful, but unfortunately the smell is really too strong.