Taichung Residents Hope for End to Sewage Fees After Seven Years

Residents in Taichung's Precision Machinery Park have been paying sewage treatment fees for seven years, a burden that has affected nearly 2,500 households across several residential communities, including labor and social housing.

These communities, such as Xinye Chengjia, Xinye Yijia, and Hamu, were built on land designated for labor housing, not industrial use. However, their sewage lines were connected to the industrial park's treatment plant, leading to charges of 21 yuan per cubic meter. Some communities have collectively paid millions of New Taiwan Dollars in fees over the years, with individual households facing monthly charges of 300 to 500 yuan, a significant amount for workers with limited incomes.

Former councilor Zhang Yaozhong highlighted the issue, noting that while general households are exempt from such fees, these residential areas were treated as industrial entities. Through negotiations and council inquiries, the fee per cubic meter was initially halved and later reduced to 5 yuan. Despite these reductions, the cumulative payments for some communities have reached at least 2 million New Taiwan Dollars.

Good news has emerged as the Water Resources Bureau has completed the connection of the residential sewage pipes to the municipal system. This transition is expected to allow for the exemption of sewage fees. The switchover is anticipated to occur by mid-June, following the resolution of engineering challenges related to the site's lower elevation, which required the addition of an overflow pipe.

Residents are eagerly awaiting the completion of the sewage connection, hoping for a swift end to the charges and an immediate exemption from further payments. The long-standing issue has been a significant concern for the community, and the imminent change offers a much-needed financial relief.

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The sewage fee issue has existed for a long time, and residents look forward to the sewage connection project being completed as soon as possible to be exempted from sewage fees, and stop paying extra money!