Daqing River Sand

Daqing River Sand

　　Our county is rich in river sand resources, with abundant sand found in many rivers such as the Daqing River, Xiaowen River, and Longgong River, among which the Daqing River has the most concentrated deposits.

　　The upper reaches of the Daqing River are formed by the famous Dawen River. The Dawen River originates from the southern foothills of Songgu Mountain in Yiyuan County, flows through the Tai-Lai mountainous area, and enters our county to the east of Zhangcheng Village in Jieshan Township. Below the Daicun Dam, it is called the Daqing River. The Daqing River has a total length of 45 kilometers (including the section of the Dawen River within the county), with a width of about 0.5 to 1 kilometer. Most sections of the river contain sand deposits, with an average sand layer thickness of around 3 meters, reaching up to 10 meters at its deepest. The total sand reserves are approximately 15 million cubic meters, with an annual sediment accumulation of about 500,000 cubic meters. Before 1995, the annual extraction volume was about half of the annual accumulation. The Daqing River sand has a moderate grain size, hard texture, and clear color, making it an excellent building material. In addition to meeting local construction needs, it is also purchased by surrounding areas such as Wenshang, Liangshan, Dongming, Pingyin, and Huangtai County on the western bank of the Yellow River in Henan Province. Villages along the river, such as Dongyang Village in Jieshan Township, Nanchengzi Village in Pengji Town, Chenliuzhe Village, and Liefan Village, have established sand mining sites. Many farmers make a living by extracting and selling sand, achieving prosperity and escaping poverty, thus leading happy lives.

　　In addition, our county also has underground ancient river channel buried sand. It is mainly distributed in the areas around Pengji Town and Shahezhan Town, covered by Quaternary sandy loam and silty clay. The burial depth is influenced by the ancient landform, generally ranging from 0.5 to 3.5 meters, and currently, only sporadic extraction occurs.

　　Although our county has abundant Daqing River sand resources, in recent years, there has been a trend of exploitative mining, with the annual extraction volume far exceeding the annual accumulation. This not only poses a threat to the long-term utilization of the resource but also causes harm to the river channel. Protective measures need to be implemented by the relevant authorities for this important resource to ensure sustainable development.