Xinhua
October 4, 2006

Water in the Three Gorges reservoir reached the 144.28 meter mark on Wednesday, a rise of 8.58 meters since Sept. 20 when water flowing downstream was reduced. The water level is currently being raised from 135 to 165 meters. More than 4.2 billion cubic meters of water have been added to the Three Gorges reservoir since Sept. 20. It is now holding 16.79 billion cubic meters of water, according to the Yangtze River Hydrological Bureau. On Sept. 20, one of the 13 power-producing generators was shut down to reduce water flowing downstream from the dam. Low water levels are being reported in many hydrological stations in the middle and lower reaches of the river, said Min Yaowu, an engineer with the bureau. The water level at the Datong Hydrological Station between the middle and lower reaches of the river, stood at 5.49 meters on Wednesday, the lowest ever for this time of year, according to Min. Water was continuing to flow downstream of the Three Gorges Dam at 8,000 cubic meters per second to ensure safe navigation and preserve aquatic life on the lower reaches. The water level behind the Three Gorges Dam will eventually rise to 175 meters. With a budget of 203.9 billion yuan (25.5 billion U.S. dollars), the gigantic Three Gorges Project will have a reservoir with a capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters and produce 84.7 billion kw/h of electricity annually, when it is completed in 2009.