Drinking Water Quality Standards

Nine Articles drafted and promulgated by Environmental Protection Administration Order (87) Huan-Shu-Tu-Tzu No. 004428 on
February 4, 1998
Revisions to Article 3 promulgated by Environmental Protection Administration Order Huan-Shu-Tu-Tzu No. 0920028896 on May 7,
2003
Revisions to Articles 3, 4, 5 and 6 promulgated by Environmental Protection Administration Order Huan-Shu-Tu-Tzu No. 0940039894
on May 30, 2005
Revisions to Article 3 promulgated by Environmental Protection Administration Order Huan-Shu-Tu-Tzu No. 0960100652 on January 2,
2008
Revisions to Article 3 promulgated by Environmental Protection Administration Order Huan-Shu-Tu-Tzu No.0980106331E on
November 26, 2009.

Article 1
These Standards are determined pursuant to Article 11, Paragraph 2 of the Drinking Water
Management Act (herein referred to as this Act).
Article 2
These standards shall apply to drinking water supplied from drinking water equipment designated in
Article 4 of this Act and other drinking water designated by the central competent authority.
Article 3
Regulations of these standards shall be as follows.
I. Bacterial standards: (Total Bacterial Count sampling sites are limited to the finished water distribution
networks of the water supply systems with disinfection units.)
Item
1. Coliform group
2. Total bacterial count

Maximum limit

Unit

6 (Multiple-tube fermentation method)

MPN/100 milliliters

6 (Membrane filtration method)

CFU/100 milliliters

100

CFU/milliliter

II. Physical standards:

Item

Maximum limit

Unit

1. Odor

Threshold odor number (TON)

2. Turbidity

NTU

3. Color

Platinum-cobalt units

III. Chemical standards:

A. Substances that impact health:
Item

Maximum limit

Unit

1. Arsenic

0.01

milligrams/liter

2. Lead

0.05
But 0.01 from
December 25,
2013

milligrams/liter

3. Selenium

0.01

milligrams/liter

4. Total chromium

0.05

milligrams/liter

Item

Maximum limit

Unit

5. Cadmium

0.005

milligrams/liter

6. Barium

2.0

milligrams/liter

7. Antimony

0.01

milligrams/liter

8. Nickel

0.1

milligrams/liter

9. Mercury

0.002

milligrams/liter

10. Cyanide (as CN-)

0.05

milligrams/liter

11. Nitrite-nitrogen

0.1

milligrams/liter

Disinfection
byproducts

12. Total trihalomethanes

0.08

milligrams/liter

13. Bromate (shall apply only to

water supply systems that use ozone
as disinfectant)

0.01
But
all
disinfected
water
must
comply starting
January 2, 2010.
When,
during
typhoons
or
other
natural
disasters, water
source turbidity
exceeds
500NTU,
in
consideration of
water needs and
Taiwans special
climate
and
hydrological
environment,
the bromine salt
standard
shall
not
be
applicable
during
this
period.

milligrams/liter

14. Chlorites (Chlorite) (limited to

water supply systems in which
gaseous chlorine dioxide is added
for disinfection)

1.0

milligrams/liter

15. Trichloroethene

0.005

milligrams/liter

16. Carbon tetrachloride

0.005

milligrams/liter

17. 1,1,1-Trichloroethane

0.20

milligrams/liter

18. 1,2-Dichloroethane

0.005

milligrams/liter

19. Vinyl chloride

0.002

milligrams/liter

20. Benzene

0.005

milligrams/liter

21. 1,4-Dichlorobenzene

0.075

milligrams/liter

22. 1.1-Dichloroethylene

0.007

milligrams/liter

23. Endosulfan

0.003

milligrams/liter

Volatile
organic
compounds

Agricultural

Item
chemicals

Persistent
organic
pollutants

Maximum limit

Unit

24. Lindane

0.0002

milligrams/liter

25. Butachlor

0.02

milligrams/liter

26. 2,4-dichlorophenoxy

0.07

milligrams/liter

27. Paraquat

0.01

milligrams/liter

28. Methomyl

0.01

milligrams/liter

29. Carbofuran

0.02

milligrams/liter

30. Isoprocarb

0.02

milligrams/liter

31. Methamidophos

0.02

milligrams/liter

32. Diazinon

0.005

milligrams/liter

33. Parathion

0.02

milligrams/liter

34. O-Ethyl-O-P- Nitrophenyl

thionobenzenephosphonate

0.005

milligrams/liter

35. Monocrotophos

0.003

milligrams/liter

36. Dioxin (Dioxin)

The control item concentration is
calculated as the sum of the
measured concentrations of 17
compounds,
including
2,3,7,8Tetrachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin2,3,7,8-TeCDD, 2,3,7,8Tetrachlorinated
dibenzofuran,2,3,7,8-TeCDF
and
2,3,7,8- penta-, hexa-, hepta-, and
octa-chlorinated dioxins and furans,
multiplied by the World Health
Organizations
dioxin
toxic
equivalency factors (WHO-TEFs),
and is expressed as a total toxicity
equivalency quantity (TEQ). (Any
water purification plants within a
5-kilometer distance of a large
pollution source must be tested once
annually; if the test values do not
exceed the maximum permissible
limits for two consecutive years, the
testing frequency may be changed to
once every two years starting in the
following year.)

12.

Petagram
World Health
Organization
total
toxicity
equivalency
quantity/liter
(pg-WHOTEQ/L)

B. Substances with the potential to impact health:

Item

Maximum
limit

Unit

1. Flouride (as F-)

0.8

milligrams/liter

2. Nitrate nitrogen

10.0

milligrams/liter

3. Silver

0.05

milligrams/liter

Item

Maximum
limit

Unit

4. Molybdenum (When a pollution source such as a

semiconductor manufacturing plant or optoelectronic
materials or elements manufacturing plant is located
within a 5-kilometer distance of the area upstream from
the water intake of a water supply system, the water
supply system must be tested once each quarter; if the test
values do not exceed the maximum permissible limits for
two consecutive years, the testing frequency may be
changed to once every year starting in the following
year.)

0.07

milligrams/liter

5. Indium (When a pollution source such as a

semiconductor manufacturing plant or optoelectronic
materials or elements manufacturing plant is located
within a 5-kilometer distance of the area upstream from
the water intake of a water supply system, the water
supply system must be tested once each quarter; if the test
values do not exceed the maximum permissible limits for
two consecutive years, the testing frequency may be
changed to once every year starting in the following
year.)

0.07

milligrams/liter

C. Esthetic influential substances:

Item

Maximum limit

Unit

1. Iron

0.3

milligrams/liter

2. Manganese

0.05

milligrams/liter

3. Copper

1.0

milligrams/liter

4. Zinc

5.0

milligrams/liter

5. Sulfate (as SO4-2)

250

milligrams/liter

6. Phenols

0.001

milligrams/liter

7. Anionic surface-active agents (MBAS)

0.5

milligrams/liter

8. Chloride (as Cl)

250

milligrams/liter

9. Ammonia nitrogen

0.1

milligrams/liter

10. Total hardness as CaCO3

300

milligrams/liter

11. Total dissolved solids

500

milligrams/liter

D. Limits on residual chlorine (Limited to water supply systems using chlorine as disinfectant)
Item

Limit range

Free available residual chlorine

0.21.0

Unit
milligrams/liter

E. Limit range for pH index (water treated by stationary continuous water supply equipment that a
public or private premises provides to the public for drinking shall not be subject to these limits):
Item
Hydrogen ion concentration index (pH value)

Limit range

Unit

6.08.5

NA

Article 4
When torrential rains or other natural disasters cause high turbidity in source water for tap water,
small water treatment facilities or community-installed public water supplies to exceed 200NTU, the
following water quality standards may apply to turbidity requirement for water quality standards.
Item
Turbidity

Maximum limit
4 (when source water turbidity is under 500NTU)

Unit
NTU

10 (when source water turbidity exceeds 500NTU but is under 1500NTU)

30 (when source water turbidity exceeds 1500NTU)
Drinking water source turbidity testing data in the foregoing paragraph shall be provided by tap water
enterprises, small water treatment units or community-installed public water supply units. Turbidity
sampling sites for treated drinking water in the first paragraph shall be at a point after treatment by water
purification plants or water purification facilities and prior to where drinking water enters water
distribution pipelines.
Article 5
When torrential rains or other natural disasters cause high turbidity in source water for tap water,
small water treatment facilities or community-installed public water supplies to exceed 500NTU, the
following water quality standards may apply to free available residual requirement for water quality
standards (shall apply only to water supply systems that add chlorine disinfectants).
Item
Free available residual chlorine

Limit range
0.22.0

Unit
milligrams/liter

Article 6
(Deleted)
Article 7
Testing methods for each water quality item designated in these Standards shall be designated and
officially announced by the central competent authority.
Article 8
A competent authority that conducts water quality analysis in accordance with these Standards may
commission an approved analysis laboratory to assist with analysis.
Article 9
Unless an implementation date is separately designated, the regulation items in these standards shall
take effect on the date of promulgation.