"Drinking-Water Park"

Arts & Sciences Culture & History
1

Taipei officially opened a new park Friday on the site of the former water treatment plant.

A map of the area is here:
www.twd.gov.tw/10_other/images/map.gif

For those who don’t read Chinese, the park is marked by a red circle. The green cross above it is the Gongguan (Kungkuan) MRT station.

There are several areas: wading pools and fountains for youngsters, a garden (which was hard to see, because I was there at night, and that section wasn’t lit), a museum in the old pump house, and woods that border the river.

The museum is basically the equipment from the water treatment plant there in its original building. Engineer-types should find it interesting. And the building is nice.

The woods are OK. If you walk to the top of the hill and then climb to the top of the water storage tank you’ll get what in Taipei passes for a good view. Being there helped me get rid of some of the accumulated claustrophobia I get by living here.

One complaint: Park designers here need to realize that paving stones several inches apart from each other and sticking out of the ground by an inch or so create a safety hazard, not a nice walkway.

Admission is NT$100, reduced to NT$80 in the evenings. The park closes at 10.

I think it’s worth a visit.

2

Wow, I’m impressed. The park is virtually opposite my house (I’m not exaggerating!), and construction work kept me awake for weeks (they went on 24/7). But now, they’re finished. I went there last night after work and walked up the hills (where the air seemed cleaner and the noise somewhat further away). I like the old buildings, especially the pump house.

Nice treat :laughing:
Iris

3

can you drink the water?

4

They have drinking water fountains there, but the water tastes a lot like chlorine (is that it?). I think their point in calling it “Drinking Water Park” is that it gives an introduction to the history and structure of man-made water distribution (??? sorry, sounds awkward, poor English abilities :frowning: ) in Taipei. The pump house is really nice, lots of pictures, explanations, old machines, you can touch everything. I took my Dad there, he loved it.

Iris

5

That explains it!

I was a meeting last week in a building opposite which as a view down on the park. I asked my colleague what the hell is that and he told me it was a water park, I diplomatically kept the thought to myself it was the ugliest water park I’d ever seen with concrete swimming pools, however the outside part was nice. I though it was for swimming!