Wushantou Reservoir (), sometimes spelled Wushanto or Wusanto, is a reservoir and scenic area located in
Lioujia District
Lioujia District, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency () is a rural district of about 21,392 residents in Tainan, Taiwan.
History
After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, Lioujia was organize ...
and
Guantian District
Guantian District () is a rural district in central Tainan, Taiwan. It is the hometown of former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian. It hosts a population of 20,874 residents.
History
Guantian (官田) was formerly known as the "Guantian" (å ...
of
Tainan
Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. It is also referred to as Coral Lake () due to its zigzagging shoreline. The reservoir was designed by engineer
Yoichi Hatta
was a Japanese engineer, known for his contributions in hydraulic engineering in the Japanese-ruled Taiwan. Hatta was born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University in 1910, he joined the Seat of Governor-General ...
and was the largest in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
at the time of its completion in 1930.
Overview
Construction of the Wusanto Reservoir began in 1920 and was completed in 1930. The goal of the project was to provide irrigation for over 100-thousand hectares of farmland in the Chianan area.
After construction of the reservoir, the irrigation plain became an important producer of rice for consumption in Taiwan and Japan, with three rice harvests possible each year.
Engineering
The reservoir was built in conjunction with the
Chianan Canal
Chianan Irrigation (), also known as the Kanan Irrigation System, was built to support agricultural production in the Chianan Plain of Taiwan. The name "chia-nan" was derived from two place names among its surrounding area called Chiayi County, ...
, also designed by Hatta.
At the time of its completion, Wusanto Reservoir was the largest reservoir in Asia and the third largest in the world.
Construction of the reservoir and of the
Wusanto Dam used an uncommon semi-hydraulic fill technique, where fine-grained material is placed at the end of an embankment and then washed into its desired position using jets of water; this is a variant of the
hydraulic fill
Hydraulic fill is a means of selectively emplacing soil or other materials using a stream of water. It is also a term used to describe the materials thus emplaced. Gravity, coupled with velocity control, is used to effect the selected depositi ...
technique. Wusanto Reservoir is the only project constructed with the semi-hydraulic fill technique that is still in use anywhere in the world. This process was expensive and time-consuming, but produced a dam which has proven resistant to Taiwan's severe
seismic activity
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
.
Scenic area
Today, the Wusanto Reservoir Scenic Area is a popular tourist destination in
Tainan
Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...
. The area includes a memorial and museum for Yoichi Hatta. Cherry blossom viewing is a popular event in spring. The area is also known for its abundant native flora and fauna.
See also
*
List of dams and reservoirs in Taiwan
This is a partial listing of dams and reservoirs in Taiwan (Republic of China).
List of dams and reservoirs
See also
* List of power stations in Taiwan
References
*
Reservoirs, dams and weirs of Taiwan(Taiwan Water Resources Agency ...
References
{{commons category, Wusanto Reservoir
1930 establishments in Taiwan
Landforms of Tainan
Reservoirs in Taiwan