Taipei Water Park Environmental Education Center

The original "Taipei Water Source Site Pumping Room" was built in 1908, when Taiwan was ruled by Japan. The birth of Taipei City's modern drinking-water facilities was in 1895, when Japan took over Taiwan. In order to improve the city's sanitary conditions, the Japanese government began to map out waterworks for drinking water and commissioned a Scotsman, William K. Burton, to conduct a survey of Taiwan's sanitary engineering. Based on Burton's suggestion, a water-intake unit was established in 1907 at the foot of Guanyinshan by the Xindian River (Xindianxi) to pump water to the purification plant on Guanyinshan, then pump the treated water upward to the reservoir on the hilltop, and supply water to the city through natural gravitational force. The Taipei Water Source Site Pumping Room where the pumping equipment was placed was retired from service in 1977, when the intake unit was relocated to Qingtan Dam on the upper reaches of Xiandianxi due to increasing pollution on the downstream Xindianxi section. It later became today's Museum of Drinking Water.

The new-style architecture adopted during the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule often presented one's status and identity through a building's form and style. This building had influences from Japan's Meiji Restoration, in a hybrid of Japanese and European architectural elements, such as:Dome, Round Arches, and Classical Orders: Influenced not only by the architecture of classical Greece and Rome, but also that of the Renaissance and by Neoclassicism, the dome here was a symbol of the universe in Roman culture, and was an element also frequently used in the Byzantine Empire.Arched Windows: Semicircular arched windows with arched rings.Rooftop: Copper tiles cover the rooftop in imitation of Byzantine and Classical architecture.Orders: The Ionic orders, decorated with volutes, is one of three types of order popular during the ancient Greek period; the shape of the capitals imitates shells or goat horns.Windows: The circular arched windows and square windows are distinguishing features of post- Renaissance architecture.Arches: Decorated with low reliefs (also known as "bas-reliefs").Ventilating Flower Terrace: Ventilation facilities are placed outside the museum building.Based on the "New Architectural Drawing of Taipei Water Source Site Pumping Room" documentation left from the period, the architect is believed to be Mr. Matsunosuke Moriyama.

Pumping wells normally go with pumping rooms. A pumping well is to pressurize and pump the water from the intake unit to the distribution well, then to other wells or pools. A pumping well is required when the altitude of the place where the intake unit is placed is lower; in other words, water cannot be delivered through natural gravity force. There is no fixed outlook or modeling of pumping wells; shapes like rectangular, round, and oval are very common and mainly made of either concrete or concrete with reinforcing bars. There is no fixed ratio of depth to internal diameter, either.The 1st pumping well of the "Taipei Water Source Site" in rectangular shape. Water went through the well into the room and then was pumped by the equipment to the distribution well. The finished water then went through the 2nd pumping well and was then delivered to the water purification reservoir on Mt. Guanyin (also known as Guanyinshan nowadays).

This "Water Distribution Materials Zone" is divided into five sub-zones: the Pipe Fitting Zone, Valves Zone, Fire Hydrants Zone, Straight Pipes Zone, and Fabrication Zone. The areas display the actual parts and components utilized according to different times and materials, and can be visited following a U-shaped visitors' route.In visiting the Taipei Water Park, in addition to gaining understanding of how water purification stations produce clean drinking water and how the related equipment and facilities have been developed through the years, visitors also gain understanding of how the 7,000km-long waterworks system that provides the Taipei-Keelung Metropolitan Area (Greater Taipei Area) with clean drinking water is fabricated and joined together from the largest pipe (3,800㎜ in diameter) to the smallest 75mm, so that whenever they turn on a tap to enjoy the safe and sanitary drinking water, they can understand the hard work involved in supplying it, and start to cherish their water resources. 

Ascending the Guanyinshan Trail in Gongguan, visitors can see a row of four "Chemical Control Tanks," which were formerly used to store purifying chemicals used to sanitize the drinking water. These tanks were built on higher ground so that the chemicals could be injected by gravitational force into the raw water, where they absorbed/eliminated the particles causing turbidity in the water and filtered harmful sludge and bacteria, purifying the water and increasing its safety. These tanks were built in 1971, and retired in 1977 due to the relocation of the water-intake unit to the Qingtan Dam.

The "Pipe Sculpture Area" is located in the open on the side of Guanyinshan in Gongguan. This area features recreational facilities and installation artworks made with a variety of pipes and other materials to provide tourists with different recreational experiences.

This reservoir can hold water volume of up to 5,050m3, enough to supply the Dadaocheng area.A "Metering Room," the building was made of brick and ferroconcrete, and its walls painted in red. There is a grassy area next to the building the size of two to three basketball courts. Taipei's oldest reservoir, Guanyinshan Reservoir, is located beneath. Since the reservoir was underground, the metering room was equipped with a rotary water gauge to measure the water level.In addition, the "Distribution Well" next to the building was used to distribute the raw water. This well was located at the reservoir's final outflow location; the treated water traveled through this well to the metering room, then sent on to supply the urban district. This well was also equipped with a gate valve to control water volume so the natural gravitational flow could then be adjusted. Its role in water outflow to domestic households made this a crucial facility.

The Metering Room is a square building made of brick and ferroconcrete. Its function was to measure water volume.The walls of the building were decorated with fillisters and scores, its four corners had original red brick deliberately left revealed, and its windows and window frames were semicircular on the upper half and square on the lower half. It is speculated that this building was added after the completion of Taipei City's main waterworks; however, the facility still matches the overall plan and design. The original year and design of this structure is unknown due to the loss of files; it was retired from service metering the water output of Guanyinshan Distribution Reservoir in 1977 when the Gongguan Purification Plant was built.Having undergone repair and renovation, the room is now a heritage site restaurant offering a variety of teas and simple meals.

All the settled sludge and the rapidly filtered backwash water produced in the process of water purification are discharged into the sewage pool, and the sludge is then pumped by the sewage pump to the sludge processing plant where it is thickened, dehydrated, and compressed into sludge cakes. The cakes are then recycled. Since the process turns waste into useful materials, the water purification station represents a 100% zero-pollution and zero-discharge green industrial operation.Before 2002, various companies were commissioned to regularly transport the sludge cakes to the Shanzhuku Landfill site in Neihu, for free use as landfill cover soil. In 2003 the Shanzhuku Landfill had sufficient cover, and the Taipei Water Department began looking for other legal and economical ways to deal with the cakes. Their use as raw materials in the making of bricks and cement not only saves expenses dealing with the cakes, but also significantly reduces the shipping costs involved for the cakes to be recycled.

The "Gongguan Purification Plant," originally the "Slow Sand Filter," has operations featuring many pools and motor rooms with different functions. In order to ensure plant safety, prevent algae propagation, and reduce chlorine loss, in 2009 the purification pool was covered and solar panels were installed atop. The panels can generate approximately 92.4KWp of electricity. Since the electric power generated is enough for the building where the main offices are located and also for other areas of the plant, the plant meets energy-saving and carbon-reduction objectives.Since both the water and the sludge produced during the purification process can be separated and recycled i.e., the sludge can be processed and turned into bricks -- this water-purification plant is a 100% green plant with zero discharge.The plant offers guided tours for groups with advance booking, making it the first to combine water resource and energy-conservation education functions.

The Chinese Soap Berry (Wuhuanzi) is originally from the low-elevation broadleaf forests of Taiwan, but has now spread over southern China, India, and southern Japan.The fruit is rich in saponin, and when placed underwater and rubbed will produce cleansing foam, which can be used to clean pots and pans, clothes, the hair and body, and even jewelry such pearls and gold. Since it contains no man-made carcinogens, and it decomposes naturally without polluting the environment, it can be regarded as a natural detergent.The Chinese Soap Berry is a deciduous tree with a beautiful appearance. Its leaves drop completely in autumn/winter, all turning bright yellow before withering. The aesthetics provided has made the Chinese Soap Berry popular as a garden tree and shade tree.

The Subcostate Crape Myrtle (Jiuqiong) is seen everywhere in Taiwan, mainland China, and the Ryukyu Islands. The trees are red-brown outside and grey-white inside, with slippery and hard tree trunks. Since the bark is slippery and comes off in big flakes, it is said that even monkeys cannot successfully climb up the trees, and that's why they are also called "Monkeys Slip" (Houliu) or "Monkeys Don't Climb" (Houbupa). The Taiwanese knew in the early days that the tree's wood could be used to make pillars because of its strong quality and dense texture. They charcoaled the end of the wood extending into the ground with fire to make it termite- or borer-proof.

The wood of this tree is waterproof and humidity-resistant, and thus is very good for furniture and as a building material.It is also used in civil engineering and hydro-engineering. Red Cedar trees are dioecism plants. The flowers are tiny and in yellow-green color. The fruit are round dark-brown juicy fruit – 1cm in diameter and contains three to four seeds each. The fruit are edible when mature fully; the sarcocarp can be used to make wine. The seeds contain 30% to 54% oil, which is edible, suitable for making lubricant as well.Red Cedar trees are indigenous to Taiwan, and grow in low-elevation regions. The trees are tall and huge; the mature ones can be 1m in diameter. The tree-crown is large as well. Since the trees have strong resistance against air wind and air pollution, they are commonly used as garden plants and shade trees.

Chinese Bulbuls (Baitouwong) have a shiny black forehead, and an eye-catching white disk-like area starting from above both eyes and extending to the back of the head. The older the birds are, the whiter the back of the head (also known as neck feathers). These bulbuls are cheery, and not afraid of humans. They are polyphagia, and prefer insects, seeds, and fruit. The males have grayer chests than the females, and the white neck feathers are rather bright. If one pays close attention toward the sounds in the woods, the bulbuls' sound is like 'Qiao-Ke-Li, Qiao-Ke-Li'.Chinese Bulbuls like to build their nests on the Acacia confuse (Memory Tree) or the Chinese Banyan. Their average lifespan is between 10 and 15 years. 

The Common Schefflera (pronounced Jiangmou in Mandarin) is also known as "Duck Foot Wood" (Yajiaomu) or "Goose Foot Wood" (Ezhangchai), because its leaves are palmately compound leaves with a shape like duck feet or goose feet. The core of the trees is white in color and substantial in texture, and therefore traditionally used to make matches and clogs. A question often posed is: why call it "Jiangmou?" This is because when Taiwan was under Japanese rule wearing clogs was a fashion, and since there's no distinction between left-foot and right-foot clogs, people couldn't tell which was which. As a result, Jiangmou became the trees having no distinction between "Gangmou". The term "Jiangmou" (Mandarin) is the assonance of the term "Gangmou" (Minnan dialect).The Common Schefflera blossoms and bears fruit in winter. Although the flowers do not have a sweet smell, the rich nectar still attracts many insects, including butterflies, flower flies, blow flies, etc. They are very important nectar plants in winter, and their fruit also provides wild birds with extra food in winter.

Wild Coffee (Jiujiemu) has a very strong shade tolerance, and prefers a warm and wet environment without strong sunlight. It is a wild plant commonly seen in Taiwan's broadleaf forests. It is also known as "Mountain's Big Knife" (Shandadao) or "Green Dragon Throwing Up Fog" (Qinglongtuwu).The branches and twigs have many nodes (jie), which is the origin of the Chinese name. The blossoms are tiny and white, may have light-green on the top, and flower in May and June. The roots and leaves have medicinal quality, e.g. detoxifying and dehumidifying, and therefore are used to cure the common cold, sour throat, bruises, etc.The fruit is very round, ripens from November through December, is red or reddish orange, and has edges when dried.

Climbing Figs (Bili) can be found everywhere in Taiwan, from the plains to low-elevation mountain regions, and especially in central and northern Taiwan. They generally use their aerial roots to firmly station themselves, and climb stone walls, fences, or tree trunks to receive more sunlight. People generally cannot tell the difference between Climbing Figs and Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang (Aiyu). The leaves of Aiyu are bigger and pointier, those of Climbing Figs smaller and blunt.Aiyu fruit are bigger and have a long, oval shape with white spots scattered on the surface, whereas those of Climbing Figs are smaller and reverse-conoid-shaped, with white spots appearing only on the tips. The mature seeds of Climbing Figs contain water-soluble pectin, readily producing a semiopaque or light-yellow gel used to make jelly, just like Aiyu seeds.

Japalura Swinhonis iguanas (Siwenhaosi Panxi) is an endemic Taiwan species. The color of their backs is mainly yellow-brown, the rim of the mouth is white, and the back of the body is high. The males have distinctive manes and dewlaps; the yellow-green belts on both sides of the male's bodies are more distinctive than those of the females. A male iguana will show certain threatening moves, similar to human beings doing push-ups, when another male is sighteds. The animal's full length can reach 31cm, with two-thirds taken up by the tail. The Japalura Swinhonis is today the largest iguana in Taiwan.These iguanas mostly rest in the periphery of the woods, the small paths next to groves, or on big tree trunks. They are diurnal animals, and mainly feed on insects or other small invertebrates.

Jamides Celeno butterflies (Danqingyapo Huidie) generally live from the plains all the way up to the low- and medium-elevation mountain regions. These butterflies are one of the largest Lampides boeticus in Taiwan – about 2.8 to 4cm when both wings are opened out. The color of the male's wings is light water-blue where the female's wings have more black-brown stripes; female's body build is bigger than that of the male. These butterflies' abdomens have wavy lines (white-brown for males and white for females), the tip of the anuses have black spots with red rims.

The mountains and forests of Taiwan can be said to be the homeland of Camphor trees (Zhangshu), and for a long time camphor trees have been the major species used for afforestation and greenification. Gigantic camphor specimens are to be seen everywhere in Taiwan.Camphor trees are evergreen arbors, with oval- or egg-shaped leaves that have a bright-green surface and a grayish-white back. Their fruit, which turns purple-black when mature, are a favorite with birds. On the old, grey tree trunks one finds myriad deep, vertical cracks "carved" by the passing years. Combined with their jade-green leaves, the trees "radiate" a resolute, steadfast ambiance, with the slight aroma of camphor. In addition to their use in making camphor and camphor oil, the trees are also excellent for carving, building, and furniture; the wood is insect-proof.