Tai Tam Byewash Reservoir, part of the Tai Tam Reservoirs, is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

Tai Tam Country Park Tai Tam Country Park () is a country park in the Tai Tam area in the south end of Hong Kong Island. At , the park consists of one fifth of Hong Kong Island's land mass. During World War II, the Japanese encountered strong resistance from British ...

Tai Tam Tai Tam or ''Tytam'' is an area in Southern District on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Tai Tam means a ''big pool'' in the Chinese language which illustrates a triangular bay, namely Tai Tam Bay between Stanley Peninsula, D'Aguilar Peak an ...

, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong and has a water storage capacity of 22.4 million gallons. The reservoir was completed in 1904. Tai Tam Byewash Reservoir and Tai Tam Upper Reservoir are separated by a vehicular bridge. When full, the water from Tai Tam Upper Reservoir will pass through the bottom part of the bridge to Tai Tam Byewash Reservoir giving the appearance that the two reservoirs are jointly known as Tai Tam Reservoir (). The reservoir can be accessed by Stage 6 of the

Hong Kong Trail The Hong Kong Trail, opened in 1985, is a long-distance footpath from Victoria Peak to Big Wave Bay on Hong Kong Island. It is a walking route which passes through the five country parks on Hong Kong island.

or by the

Tai Tam Waterworks Heritage Trail The Tai Tam Waterworks Heritage Trail is a heritage trail in Hong Kong that comprises 22 waterworks structures with historical value near the Tai Tam group of reservoirs. The Trail is about 5 km long and takes about two hours to complet ...

. Its

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

and the

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...

house built at the centre of the dam are listed as declared monuments while the ruins of the Tai Tam Byewash Reservoir senior staff bungalow and the workmen's quarters as well as the Tai Tam Reservoir Red Brick Building are classified as Grade III historic buildings.

History

The water storage capacity of Tai Tam Upper Reservoir is still inferior to the population growth. As Hong Kong Island lacks land that can be developed into a catchment area, the government decided to expand the water supply system of Tai Tam Valley, implement the second phase of The Extension of the Tai Tam Water Supply System and to construct the byewash Reservoir to collect the freshwater overflowing from the upper reservoir. The project was designed by James Orange, the resident engineer of the Tai Tam Reservoir construction project. The byewash reservoir consists of two dams, the main dam and the secondary dam. The main dam is a concrete gravity dam while the secondary dam is not far to the left of the main dam. There is a short pier between these two dams and the reservoir was completed in 1904.

References

External links

Reservoirs of Hong Kong (1) Hong Kong and Kowloon (in Chinese)
{{Reservoirs of Hong Kong Buildings and structures completed in 1904 Tai Tam Reservoirs

History

See also

References

External links