Beijing to build six lakes and two wetlands along Yongding River

The six lakes are Mencheng Lake, Lianshi Lake, Xiaoyue Lake, Wanping Lake, Daning Lake, and Daotian Lake, forming a 50 kilometers long and 270-hectare  water area.

An ecosystem of interconnected creeks and lakes will be built over the dry Yongding River by 2010. On February 28, the roaring sound of diggers was heard from the lower reaches of the Yongding River, which has been silent for years, marking the beginning of construction on the Yongding River green ecological development zone, a project which will cost 17 billion yuan. Upon the completion of the Mencheng, Lianshi, Xiaoyue, Wanping, Daning, and Daotian lakes, as well as ten theme parks, the current dry river will be transformed into a green ecological corridor.

On February 28, the construction of Wanping Lake and Lianshi Lake started simultaneously at the lower reaches of the Yongding River. The reporter, who was on the construction site, found that Yongding River's wide watercourse has been covered by sand, and the bare riverbed is thick with grasses. The Yongding River, the Mother River of Beijing, flows across Mentougou, Shijingshan, Fengtai, Fangshan and Daxing districts, and has a full length of 170 kilometers. Because of continuous drought, the section downstream from the Sanjiadian sluice has been dry for more than ten years, where the ecosystem is deteriorating and sandstorms often strike.

In 2010, Beijing will start the construction of the Yongding River ecological development zone, a project which is expected to cost a total of 17 billion yuan. An ecological corridor that will be 170 kilometers long and cover an area of 1,500 square meters will be completed by 2014. Another 1,000 hectares of water and 9,000 hectares of greenery will be built, and as a result, 100 million cubic meters of groundwater will be recovered every year.

The rebuilt Yongding River will become a green ecological corridor with interconnected streams, lakes and wetlands, and water will fit in well with the color green. From upper reaches to the lower reaches, there will be six lakes, including Mencheng Lake, Lianshi Lake, Xiaoyue Lake, Wanping Lake, Daning Lake and Daotian Lake, which in total are about 50 kilometers long and cover an area of 270 hectares. Keeping in tune with the plan of constructing the green land along the banks of the Yongding River, ten theme parks will be built along the river, serving as locations for recreation, exercise and aquatic activities, and will allow the city to integrate well with the rivers and streams.

Under the plan, the Yongding River green ecological development zone will be completed in four years. Construction of the Mencheng, Lianshi, Xiaoyue and Wanping lakes will start by 2010, and water will be added to the lakes by 2010. Wanping Lake, which has started construction on February 28, extends from Lugou Bridge's Xiangjiao Dam to the Yanhua Overpass in the south, and visitors will be able to enjoy the scenery of a long dam, tens of thousands of willows, green water and the bright moon. Lianshi Lake, which extends from Shijingshan to Jingyuan Bridge, is 4.3 kilometers long, and will be made into a landscaped lake with two ecological wetlands. Recreational parks, where wetland activities can be held, will also be constructed.

Most residents are concerned about Yongding River's water resources as the river will be transformed into a landscape river from a dry one. According to Chen Tie, the chief engineer of Beijing Water Authority, about 130 million cubic meters of water is needed to recover Yongding River, and the water will mainly come from reclaimed water and rain. The Qinghe, Xiaohongmen, Lugou Bridge, Wulituo and Mencheng reclaimed water plants will help provide Yongding River with quality water resources that meet the three-star surface water standard. In addition, two million cubic meters of rain can be stored every year for use. A wetland will be built at the upper reaches of every lake in order to further purify the water and ensure that the water in the Yongding River can meet the three or even four-star standard of surface water.