On 22 March 2023, the EPA preannounced the revised draft of the Prohibition of Water-Polluting Practices (禁止足使水污染行為). For campgrounds, the draft includes requirements for proper collection and treatment of wastewater generated from flush toilets and domestic use, as well as installation of adequate wastewater treatment facilities. The law will come into effect on 1 July 2024 in consideration of the preparations and adjustments needed before implementation.

In recent years, there has been an increase in camping activities and campground use. Out of all existing campgrounds in Taiwan, currently over a thousand in total, only about two hundred are legal, with the majority not listed for control under the Water Pollution Control Act. Based on the Executive Yuan’s " Respect the Mountains" policy and the Campground Management Guidelines (露營場管理要點), established by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in July 2022, small campgrounds less than one hectare located on land designated for agricultural, livestock and forestry use may apply for legal certification under certain conditions. Subsequently, in December 2022 the Tourism Bureau publicized the draft application forms and plans for issuing permits for use of land as campgrounds, which will serve as references for campground enterprises as they apply for legal certification. 

Aiming to regulate installation of sewage treatment facilities in campgrounds, the EPA has targeted specific acts in campgrounds located inside water pollution control areas, such as installing wastewater disposal facilities with insufficient capacity or not properly operating or maintaining facilities. Another target is the improper channeling of wastewater from flush toilets and domestic uses, due to the campgrounds not being connected to sewage systems or centralized disposal facilities, or because they have not commissioned disposal enterprises to deal with the wastewater. The draft is preannounced based on the Water Pollution Control Act Article 30, paragraph 1, item 5, listing such behaviors as water-polluting acts that are to be prohibited. The goal is to jointly safeguard environmental quality.

In addition, on 7 March 2023 the EPA issued the Guidelines for Application and Evaluation of Campground Environmental Protection Affairs (露營場環境保護事項申請及審查指引) as a reference for competent authorities managing campgrounds, local environmental bureaus, and campground enterprises, and to facilitate the legal certification process for campgrounds.

Excerpt from Major Environmental Policies, March 2023