Shihmen Dam

The Shimen Dam ( Chinese石门 水库, Pinyin Shimen Shuǐkù ) (also called Shihmen rewritten ) is a Dam in Taoyuan County in northern Taiwan. It is home to the third-largest artificial lake of the island.

Construction history

As early as the period of Japanese rule over Taiwan, there were plans to dam the river Dahan in northern Taiwan by means of a dam for water extraction. As a result of the outbreak of the Second World War, the project was not carried out. In 1955, the Project was taken in cooperation between Taiwan and the United States re- addressed. Construction began the following year and lasted affected by some geologically -related delays, nine years. On 14 June 1964, the building was inaugurated by Chen Cheng, Vice - President of the Republic of China.

Capacity and utilization

The Shimen Dam is a rockfill dam. The dam was originally planned for a total storage space of 309 120 000 m³. Over time, the capacity decreased as a result of sedimentation, however, significantly and in 2011 was only about 210 million m³.

The reservoir is used for power generation, agricultural irrigation and drinking water supply in the area of ​​the cities Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan Xinzhu and the counties and Xinzhu. In addition, he is known as a tourist destination.

Environmental problems

The advanced deforestation of the surrounding hills, causing soil erosion and frequent landslides, which are sometimes exacerbated by storms and typhoons. The loose rock and earth erupt into the Shimen Lake, which is consequently affected by strong sedimentation. The water caused by the deposits of high nutrient content allows the prosperity of algae ( eutrophication), which has a negative effect on the water quality. To prevent further sedimentation, were constructed along the upper reaches of the Dahan River numerous dams to rock and sand to filter out of the water. In Shimen Lake itself is an attempt to reduce the mass of the deposits by dredging.