Shanyou Reservoir Water Conservancy Scenic Area

Shanyou Reservoir Water Conservancy Scenic Area

The Shanyou Reservoir Water Conservancy Scenic Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a national water conservancy scenic area.

The Shanyou Reservoir Water Conservancy Scenic Area is located in Shanyou Village, Jiudu Town, Nanan City, Quanzhou, Fujian Province. Built primarily around the Shanyou Reservoir, it is a national-level water conservancy scenic area. With a total storage capacity of 655 million cubic meters, the Shanyou Reservoir is a large-scale reservoir project that mainly serves irrigation while also providing integrated functions such as flood control and power generation. The reservoir project commenced construction in 1958, was completed and put into operation in 1972, and has since undergone reinforcement and expansion projects to increase both machinery capacity and water storage.

The Shanyou Reservoir has a total storage capacity of 655 million cubic meters and is a large-scale reservoir project that mainly serves irrigation while also providing integrated functions such as flood control and power generation. The reservoir project commenced construction in 1958, was completed and put into operation in 1972, and has since undergone reinforcement and expansion projects to increase both machinery capacity and water storage.

The Shanyou Reservoir is situated in the middle section of the west coast of the Taiwan Strait, on the Dongxi tributary of the Jinjiang River—one of Fujian’s four major rivers—within Nanan City, Fujian Province. It is the largest reservoir under the jurisdiction of the provincial Department of Water Resources and serves as a large-scale hydraulic hub in Quanzhou integrating flood control, water supply, irrigation, and power generation.

The reservoir was initially constructed in 1958 but was suspended twice during the process. In early 1967, the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power approved the resumption of construction, and the project was completed and put into operation in October 1972. Subsequent reinforcement and expansion projects to enhance machinery capacity and water storage were carried out during 1978–1982 and 1994–1997. The reservoir’s key structures include the main dam, auxiliary dam, spillway, water diversion tunnel, as well as underground and surface power station buildings. The dam is designed to withstand earthquakes of magnitude VII and is a clay-core rock-fill embankment dam. It is built to defend against a once-in-a-century flood and verified against a once-in-ten-thousand-years flood. The power station currently has three generating units with a total installed capacity of 60,000 kW and an annual designed power generation of 132 million kWh.

The reservoir has a catchment area of 1,023 square kilometers, an average annual inflow of 1.4 billion cubic meters, and a total storage capacity of 655 million cubic meters. The normal water storage level is at an elevation of 96.48 meters, with a corresponding storage volume of 472 million cubic meters, giving it nearly multi-year regulation capability.

Over the past 30-plus years, the Shanyou Reservoir has made significant contributions to the economic and social development of Quanzhou, earning it the titles "The Life Reservoir of the People of Quanzhou" and "Quanzhou’s Ecological Regulator." On one hand, the reservoir releases 2 to 4 million cubic meters of water daily to downstream areas during dry seasons, with water quality reaching Class II standards. This ensures the water needs for the daily life, production, and irrigation of 650,000 acres of farmland for a population of 4 million, providing essential water resource support for the sustainable development of Quanzhou’s economy and society. On the other hand, it plays a crucial role in flood control, with a flood regulation capacity of 224 million cubic meters. During the flood season, it stores and regulates peak flows to protect the lives and property of over 2 million people downstream.

The Shanyou Reservoir Management Office is a directly affiliated public institution of Quanzhou City. Since the reservoir was completed and put into operation, it has maintained a record of 10 consecutive years without any safety accidents. It has been awarded titles such as National Second-Class Enterprise and First-Class Management Unit by the Ministry of Water Resources. Its aquatic products have also received provincial-level “Pollution-Free Product Certificates.”

A protection and restoration pilot project will be launched for the Shanyou Reservoir’s aquatic ecosystem. To purify the raw water flowing into the Shanyou Reservoir and ensure the safety of drinking water sources, our city will carry out a protection and restoration pilot project for the Shanyou Reservoir’s aquatic ecosystem over the next two years.

As an important drinking water source for Quanzhou, the water quality of the Shanyou Reservoir not only affects the drinking safety of millions of downstream residents but also relates to the sustainable economic and social development of Quanzhou. The Shanyou Reservoir Aquatic Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Pilot Project is located in the area from the reservoir’s inlet river mouth to the confluence of Taoxi and Huyangxi, as well as the surrounding reservoir region. It includes six engineering components: the pre-reservoir project, in-situ purification project for Taixi water bodies, farmland runoff pollution control around the reservoir, domestic sewage treatment systems around the reservoir, ecological reconstruction and landscape construction, and waterfront slope projects. The total investment for the construction of these projects is approximately 37.6 million yuan.

At the recently held feasibility study review meeting for the Shanyou Reservoir Aquatic Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Pilot Project, the expert panel concluded that, in accordance with the “Shanyou Reservoir Basin Water Source Water Pollution Prevention and Control Plan,” the technical approach recommended in the project’s feasibility study report for the protection and restoration pilot is generally feasible.

Project Overview

The Shanyou Reservoir was built in 1958 in Jiudu Town, Nanan City, Quanzhou, Fujian Province (at that time, Jiudu Town belonged to the Rocket People's Commune). The dam site was originally in Shanyou Village, Jiudu (now submerged under the reservoir), hence the name Shanyou Reservoir. With a catchment area of 1,023 square kilometers, accounting for 53.4% of the Dongxi watershed area, and a total storage capacity of 655 million cubic meters, it is a large-scale reservoir project that mainly serves irrigation while also providing integrated functions such as flood control and power generation. The reservoir has an average annual inflow of 1.4 billion cubic meters, a normal water storage level at an elevation of 95 meters (Shilong), with a corresponding storage volume of 395 million cubic meters. The minimum operating water level for power generation is 80 meters, with a regulating storage capacity of 207.7 million cubic meters. Below the 60-meter elevation is dead storage (0.19 billion cubic meters).

Construction of the Shanyou Reservoir project began in 1958. In April 1959, in line with the infrastructure policy of “focusing efforts and ensuring priorities,” and according to directives from the provincial and regional party committees, the Shanyou Reservoir was temporarily suspended as a retained project. In early 1960, construction resumed for the second time. By the end of that year, due to temporary national economic difficulties, the project was again suspended. In 1967, the Shanyou Reservoir project was included in the national infrastructure plan, and in July of the same year, construction of the dam began with a national investment of 50 million yuan.

In December 1970, the Fujian Provincial Party Committee proposed accelerating the construction of the Shanyou Reservoir. The following March, the core leadership group of the Jinjiang Regional Revolutionary Committee strengthened its guidance over the Shanyou Reservoir and established the Shanyou Reservoir Party Core Leadership Group. By early November, the construction site had organized 4 backbone militia regiments and various specialized construction companies, totaling 88 companies and 23,843 personnel. Militia members, workers, and technical personnel worked day and night, dedicating themselves to the construction effort.

In July 1972, the dam project was completed. On September 30, the first generating unit of the power station was successfully test-run and connected to the regional power grid. On September 22 of the following year, the second generating unit of the power station was successfully test-run and integrated into the grid.

During construction, the steep slope section of the spillway was canceled and replaced with a flip bucket. The following 300 meters were left unlined. During the flood seasons of 1974 and 1975, two trial discharges were conducted with a maximum discharge rate of 700 cubic meters per second. This caused the scouring of 300,000 cubic meters of earth and stones downstream, with silt blocking the downstream river channel and raising the tailwater level of the power station by 1 meter, affecting power generation.

Key Structures

The key structures consist of the main dam, auxiliary dam, water diversion tunnel, and underground power station. The foundation of the main dam is composed of quartzite and granite, with a seismic design intensity of 8 degrees. The overall project involved 2.3582 million cubic meters of earthwork (including 1.5919 million cubic meters of dam fill and 512,500 cubic meters of spillway excavation), 1.0595 million cubic meters of stonework, 46,300 cubic meters of concrete, and a total workload of 3.504 million cubic meters. The total investment was 44.9757 million yuan.

The main dam is a clay-core rock-fill embankment dam, with a height of 73 meters (before reinforcement), corresponding to a dam crest elevation of 105.5 meters, a crest length of 305 meters, a width of 8 meters, and a maximum base width of 312.8 meters. The foundation utilizes curtain grouting for seepage prevention. The auxiliary dam is adjacent to the left end of the main dam, featuring a sloped protective structure with a protective slope height of 40 meters, a crest width of 10 meters, and a length of 100 meters.

The spillway is located 300 meters into a mountain recess on the left bank. Before reinforcement, it was an open-type broad-crested weir with a weir crest elevation and width of 56 meters. An inflatable rubber dam, 56 meters long and 5 meters high, was installed on the weir. The downstream end features a flip bucket at an elevation of 84.5 meters.

The water diversion tunnel is situated on the right bank. Its main tunnel serves triple purposes: construction diversion, flood discharge, and water diversion for power generation. It is 303.8 meters long with a diameter of 7 meters, followed by a dewatering tunnel section 213 meters long. The tunnel is designed with a maximum flood discharge capacity of 595 cubic meters per second.

Dam Reinforcement

The original design flood standard for the Shanyou Reservoir was “once-in-a-century,” with a verification standard of “once-in-500-years.” The new standards for the reinforcement project are “once-in-a-century” with a peak flow of 5,960 cubic meters per second for design, and “once-in-10,000-years plus 20%” with a peak flow of 14,400 cubic meters per second for verification. The flood control capacity of the reservoir increased from 131 million cubic meters to 260 million cubic meters. In March 1979, the reinforcement work was carried out by the Fujian Provincial Hydropower Engineering Bureau and completed in June 1983. The height of the main dam was increased from 73 meters to 75.5 meters, the spillway width expanded from 56 meters to 82 meters, and six radial steel gates (each 12 meters wide and 11.68 meters high) were installed. Six electric hoists (each 2×37.5 tons) were installed for operation control, increasing the designed flood discharge capacity from 3,150 cubic meters per second to 8,570 cubic meters per second. The total investment for the reinforcement project was 12.5471 million yuan.

Irrigation Area Project

The Shanyou Irrigation Area is one of China’s 42 large-scale irrigation areas covering 500,000 to 1 million mu, and the only one in Fujian covering over 500,000 mu. The original planned irrigation area included 3 counties, 1 city, and 48 communes (farms) across Hui’an, Jinjiang, and Nanan, comprising 902 brigades with a total cultivated area of 1.3434 million mu. Of this, 607,000 mu were originally irrigable through existing water conservancy infrastructure (including 34 reservoirs with a capacity of over 1 million cubic meters, totaling 261 million cubic meters; reservoirs under 1 million cubic meters with a total capacity of 105 million cubic meters; 5,784 kW of electric pumping capacity; 38,382 horsepower of mechanical pumping capacity; and other small-scale water conservancy projects).

The overall planning of the Shanyou Irrigation Area takes the Shanyou Reservoir as the backbone, fully leveraging the roles of existing water conservancy projects and making full use of interval runoff sources such as the Jinjiang River for irrigation. Through coordinated scheduling, the irrigation area’s water infrastructure forms an interconnected network. The specific layout includes: the tailwater from the Shanyou Reservoir power station flowing through the Dongxi to the Jinguishuipu Sluice for distribution, extending and expanding the northern canal of Jinguishuipu, connecting via the Luoyang Bridge Sluice to the Huinan Main Canal to irrigate farmland in Hui’an. While utilizing the original southern canal of Jinguishuipu, a new high-level canal was constructed to deliver water to the Jinjiang Irrigation Area. Additionally, water is diverted and pumped upstream of the Jinguishuipu Sluice, and supplemented by the Fentou Electric Pumping Station to feed the Shipi Reservoir Jinjiang Irrigation Area, transferring water to the coastal areas of Nanan. Quanzhou receives direct irrigation from the northern and southern canals of Jinguishuipu.

In the irrigation project, the North Main Canal was completed and put into operation on March 30, 1975, while the South Main Canal became operational on April 15. The entire project was completed in September 1977, involving a total of 12.19 million cubic meters of earthwork and 21.32 million labor-days. It included the construction of 11 large electric pumping stations with an irrigation capacity of over 10,000 mu—such as those at Hui’an Houhai, Huidongnan (encompassing Lunqian, Dongxi, and Dongling in three tiers), Jinjiang Jinnan, Futou, Xinhua, Hongku, and Changfu—and 11 smaller stations. These stations had a combined installed capacity of 97 units totaling 15,731 kilowatts (Hui’an: 7 stations, 21 units, 3,775 kW; Jinjiang: 5 stations, 42 units, 9,285 kW; Nan’an: 4 stations, 22 units, 2,095 kW; Licheng: 6 stations, 12 units, 576 kW). Additionally, 3 water turbine pumps were modified or expanded. Two main canals—the North and South Main Canals—were expanded or newly constructed, spanning a total length of 43.96 kilometers. Nine branch canals for electric pumping stations totaled 40 kilometers, and 28 main irrigation canals covered 212.07 kilometers. A total of 2,122 canal structures were built, including key structures such as the Huancheng Bridge Tunnel, Daping Mountain Tunnel, Luoyang Bridge Sluice, Lunqian Culvert, Xuntou Seven-Arch Sluice, Qujiang Aqueduct, Dongxi Culvert, Shudou Water Diversion Hub, Shichuanshan Culvert, Annei Tunnel, Chidian Tunnel, Dalun Aqueduct, Chenlin Aqueduct, Dancao Culvert, and Zhanglin Culvert—specifically, 116 major structures (including 5 tunnels totaling 3,460.6 meters, 17 culverts totaling 3,920 meters, 25 aqueducts totaling 6,404 meters, 25 highway bridges, 29 various sluices, 7 inverted siphons, 1 drainage culvert, and 7 other works). An 110-kilovolt transmission line stretching 34 kilometers from Shanmei Reservoir to Quanzhou was also constructed, along with the Quanzhou Houmao 110-kV step-down substation equipped with 2 units totaling 35,000 kVA, 8 35-kV lines spanning 111.1 kilometers, and 9 35-kV substations with 14 units totaling 29,000 kVA. The 10-kV distribution lines covered 113 kilometers, with 37 transformers totaling 12,050 kVA. The Shanmei Irrigation Project had a total investment of 33.855 million yuan, of which 25.9614 million yuan came from state allocations.

The expansion projects of the North and South Canals began in 1973. For the South Canal, the existing intake sluice was utilized, and the Yutian Sluice was newly constructed on the flood protection dike of Xingma along the southern bank of the lower Jinjiang River, featuring a clear width of 3 meters and an inflow capacity of 8.5 cubic meters per second. This increased the total inflow capacity of the canal to 38.5 cubic meters per second. A 4.78-kilometer-long Yutian Diversion Canal with a flow rate of 8.5 cubic meters per second was also excavated, joining the old South Canal at chainage 1+417. From this junction to the Shudou Water Diversion Hub, the canal’s flow was expanded from 12 to 38.5 cubic meters per second. Downstream of the hub, two tiers of canals were established: the low-tier canal retained the original South Canal with a consistent flow of 12 cubic meters per second, while the new high-tier canal handled a flow of 26.5 cubic meters per second. Stretching 11.58 kilometers from Quanzhou’s Shudou to Jinjiang’s Jiashaqiao, this section included 6 major structures such as culverts, 8 drainage structures, and 54 traffic bridges. The South Canal also accommodated boat passage, allowing vessels to navigate upstream from the low-tier canal at Jinjiang’s Shuang’gou through the Shudou Water Diversion Hub lock into the main canal, then via the newly built Yutian Canal and Yutian Sluice into the upstream section of the Jinji Sluice. The South Canal expansion was completed and put into operation on April 15, 1975. The North Canal expansion commenced in July 1973, adding one intake gate with a clear width of 3.0 meters and lowering the gate sill elevation from the original 6.5 meters to 6.0 meters. The designed inflow capacity was expanded from 6 to 22.5 cubic meters per second. The canal was extended from the original 11.44 kilometers to 24.74 kilometers, delivering a design flow of 16 cubic meters per second to the Luoyang Bridge Sluice. Along the canal, there were 31 major structures and 163 general structures, including the 1,509-meter-long Daping Mountain Tunnel. The North Canal expansion was completed and operational by April 1977. The completion of the North Canal significantly boosted agricultural yields. In the early post-liberation period, rice yield per mu in the irrigated area ranged between 175–200 kilograms, increasing to 480 kilograms by 1970 and reaching 700 kilograms by 1979. The North Canal also supplied industrial and residential water for downtown Quanzhou while alleviating flood risks within the canal region.

Luoyang Bridge Sluice Project The Luoyang Bridge Sluice is situated 500 meters upstream of the ancient Luoyang Bridge, on the lower reaches of the Luoyang River. To the south, it connects to Qiaonan Village in Licheng District, and to the north, it links to Luoyang Town in Hui’an County. Serving as the connecting structure for delivering water from the North Canal of the Shanmei Irrigation Project to Hui’an County, it also functions as one of the key bridges on the Fuzhou-Xiamen Highway, providing integrated benefits including irrigation, transportation, coastal defense, and flood discharge. Construction began in January 1971, and the project was completed in July 1974, with the highway bridge officially opened to traffic on October 1 of the same year.

Management and Benefits

After the Shanmei Reservoir project became operational, it delivered significant benefits in irrigation, flood control, power generation, and comprehensive operations. Originally designed to supply 650 million cubic meters of irrigation water for 616,700 mu of farmland, the approved irrigation area was later adjusted to 650,000 mu—420,000 mu in Jinjiang County (including present-day Shishi City), 120,000 mu in Hui’an County, 60,000 mu in Licheng District, and 50,000 mu in Nan’an County. By 1990, 480,000 mu were effectively irrigated. The irrigation benefits were remarkable, with crop yields per unit area in the irrigated zone increasing year by year. After the project’s completion, the average annual yield increase per mu of crops reached 144.5 kilograms, translating to an annual per-mu increase of 28.9 kilograms due to irrigation, amounting to an overall annual yield boost of 13,872 tons across the irrigated area.

The project supplies Quanzhou’s industrial production and residential use with a water flow of 2.44 cubic meters per second, amounting to an annual water usage of 77 million cubic meters.

The original flood control design aimed to protect 30,000 mu of farmland along the Nan’an County sections of Matou, Meishan, Honglai, and Kangmei, as well as the town of Honglai, from disasters caused by 20-year flood events. By reducing peak flood discharge and implementing staggered peak scheduling for the lower Jinjiang River flood control levees, the project alleviated flood pressure and enhanced flood resistance. During Typhoon No. 4 in June 1985, when upstream rainfall reached 234 millimeters and the reservoir inflow peak flow hit 1,287 cubic meters per second, the water level rose from 81.25 meters to 91.22 meters, retaining 143 million cubic meters of floodwater without requiring spillway discharge. During Typhoon No. 9 in 1990, from July 30 to August 5, the average rainfall in the reservoir area was 506.9 millimeters, with an inflow peak flow of 2,380 cubic meters per second and a total flood volume of 337 million cubic meters—close to a 20-year flood event. The reservoir level increased from 94.16 meters to 96.88 meters, with a maximum outflow of 1,230 cubic meters per second.

From 1973 to 1990, the reservoir used 14.88 billion cubic meters of water for power generation and discharged approximately 3.24 billion cubic meters for flood control. The reservoir’s fish farming area spanned 19,620 mu, with annual stocking resulting in a cumulative catch of 175,000 kilograms. The mountainous areas around the reservoir covered 3,510 mu, all planted with American pine and other tree species, along with over 10,000 fruit trees (covering 430 mu) such as lychee, longan, and bayberry, plus 65 mu of tea plants yielding 3,000 kilograms of tea annually.

The Shanmei Hydropower Station is located in Dashan Village, Matou Township, Nan’an County—approximately 50 kilometers northwest of downtown Quanzhou—on the middle reaches of the Dongxi River, a tributary of the Jinjiang. The station has an installed capacity of 2 units of 15,000-kilowatt hydroelectric generating units, with an annual designed output of 105 million kilowatt-hours. The reservoir has a total capacity of 650 million cubic meters, with a normal high-water-level capacity of 395 million cubic meters, primarily serving irrigation with supplementary power generation. The dam is a clay-core rock-fill embankment, with an actual height of 75.2 meters, a crest length of 305 meters, a base width of 360 meters, and a top width of 8 meters. Equipment installation began in December 1971, starting with one 15,000-kilowatt hydroelectric generating unit (model HL-211-LJ25) manufactured by Tianjin Power Equipment Factory. Trial operation succeeded on September 30 of the following year, and electricity was transmitted to the Houmao 110-kV substation. On September 22, 1973, a second identical unit was commissioned and integrated into the Shanquan power grid.

The station was connected to the Fujian power grid in 1980, serving as a peak-shaving facility for the Quanzhou area. Originally designed to generate 105 million kilowatt-hours annually, it cumulatively produced 1.4076 billion kilowatt-hours from October 1972 to the end of 1990, achieving a gross output value of 102.5452 million yuan and generating profits of 25.63 million yuan.