The White River once flooded

"The flood occurred in the sixth year of the Reign of Emperor Jiaqing of Qing Dynasty.On the second day of June, the White River in the west of Miyun County rose, and the water was surging. The throne hall and wing-rooms of the Dragon Temple on the west Bank, a total of more than 20 rooms, were swept away by water ......" A native of Miyun, Guo Gaoyuan, who was in her 95s, became a docent at the reservoir's exhibition hall. In order to get a detailed understanding of the historical development of Chan River and White River at upper reaches of Miyun Reservoir and Chaobai River at lower reaches of Miyun Reservoir, she consulted many historical materials. However, every time she saw the tragic scenes of the overflow of the White River recorded in the history books of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Guo could hardly associate it with the White River in front of her house.

According to historical records, the White River is a tributary of the Haihe River, the western upstream tributary of the Chaobai River, which originates in Hebei Province and is named for the "white sand on both banks" and the the "Free river" because of its frequent floods. Historically, the White River was frequently flooded and the people on both sides suffered greatly.

Solving water shortages for urban areas

After the founding of New China, in order to solve the problem of waterlogging in North China, in june 1958, the Party's Central Committee and the State Council decided to build the Miyun Reservoir. On September 1, 1960, the Miyun Reservoir was successfully built, achieving a water conservancy miracle that took one year to stop flooding and two years to complete.

When the the Miyun Reservoir is built, residents on both sides of the river can avoid flooding, water disaster can also be converted into water conservancy, essentially solving the water shortage that has plagued the city for years. In the 1980s and 1990s, however, with rapid urban growth and successive droughts, the White River's water supply dwindled.

"There's basically no water in the river, just big rocks in the bed." Guo remembers standing in the river when fireworks were set off on New Year's Eve, "because there was no water and there was enough room in the river for people to stand."

Becoming a good place for the public to relax

Water levels in the White River have gradually recovered in recent years, especially after heavy rains last year. Since last spring, the Miyun Reservoir has also replenished ecological water through the White River to the lower Chaobai River, accumulating more than 1.5 billion cubic meters of additional water.

Today, standing on the Daguan Bridge in the upper reaches of the White River, you can see the green mountains and rivers in the distance, all of which eventually flow into the Miyun Reservoir. Along the downstream of the White River as it passes through Miyun city, there are many parks, green areas, pavilions and green shades, as well as fitness trails and forest water, such as White River Urban Forest Park, White River Park, White River Country Park and Mihong Park, which not only enrich the city landscape, but also become a good place for citizens to relax.

In addition to the increase in water quantity, the water quality of the White River is also getting better. To ensure the clarity the White River, staff of the Water Environment Management Section of Miyun Reservoir Management Office regularly carry out river surveys of the upper reaches of the White River and its tributaries. "Agriculture, sewage, waste disposal and other issues that may affect water quality are issues that we are focusing on in our inspections." Duan Bingyu, a staff member of the Water Environment Management Section of Miyun Reservoir Management Office, said that in addition, floating objects such as those that appear on the river surface will be salvaged and dealt with in a timely manner.