The water level of the Three Gorges Reservoir has dropped to about 145 meters, and the work of emptying the reservoir has been basically completed

The water level in front of the Three Gorges Reservoir has dropped to 145.34 meters at 8:00 am on the 10th, approaching the flood control limit water level of 145 meters, and releasing nearly 22 billion cubic meters of flood control storage capacity. This marks the basic completion of flood control work for the Three Gorges Reservoir, entering the flood season scheduling stage.

On June 10th, the ship sailed in the waters of Xiling Gorge in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and the drawdown zone after the water level dropped was clearly visible. At 8:00 am that day, the water level in front of the Three Gorges Reservoir dam dropped to 145.34 meters, approaching the flood control limit water level of 145 meters, releasing nearly 22 billion cubic meters of flood control storage capacity. This marks the basic completion of the flood control work for the Three Gorges Reservoir in 2018, entering the flood season scheduling stage.

The Three Gorges Reservoir, with a maximum storage level of 175 meters and a flood control capacity of 22.15 billion cubic meters, is an important barrier to ensure flood control safety in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the flood season. According to the normal operation period scheduling regulations and the approval requirements of the National Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the Three Gorges Reservoir needs to reach the flood control level by June 10th this year and switch to flood season scheduling.

It is reported that the start time of this drawdown was in late November 2017. In order to prevent possible early floods, the Three Gorges Reservoir has accelerated the drawdown speed since early May, and on June 7th, the drawdown was advanced to within the floating range of the flood control limit water level from 145 meters to 146.5 meters. By 8:00 am on the 10th, the water level in front of the Three Gorges Reservoir dam had dropped to 145.34 meters, releasing nearly 22 billion cubic meters of flood control storage capacity.

At present, China Three Gorges Corporation has fully completed the flood prevention inspection of the Three Gorges Gezhouba hub area, as well as the maintenance of equipment and facilities such as power stations, ship locks, and discharge structures. Each unit has also established flood prevention organizations, equipped with large-scale emergency equipment and flood prevention materials, and made various preparations for the safe flood control of the cascade hub.

(Article translated from: Xinhua News Agency)