aeeble

Shihgang Dam is the lowermost weir on the Dajia River, bearing the heavy responsibility of supplying domestic water to Greater Taichung. In 1954, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, together with related agencies, formed the “Dajia River Planning Committee” to promote multi-purpose development for irrigation, power generation, and flood control. In addition to building several power plants, a dam was erected at the lower reach of the basin to regulate tail-water from each plant. Shihgang Dam was proposed by the former Water Resources Planning Commission under the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1959, construction began on 31 October 1974, and was completed on 15 October 1977. A concrete gravity dam designed and built entirely by Taiwanese engineers, it has, since completion, supplied public, industrial, agricultural, and Taichung Port vessel water to Greater Taichung and parts of Changhua County, inseparably linked to central Taiwan’s economic growth. On 21 September 1999 the Chi-Chi earthquake struck; uplift and faulting near the dam damaged some structures, challenging diversion and storage. After urgent repairs and restoration planned by government agencies, stable supply resumed, infusing new life into Shihgang Dam. Under the Water Resources Agency and the Central Taiwan Water Resources Office, emergency repairs quickly solved Taichung’s water-supply crisis, and short-, medium-, and long-term post-quake restoration plans were drawn up and carried out step by step. By the end of 2000 all emergency repairs were finished, and by the end of 2001 a new fishway was added, giving Shihgang Dam a renewed appearance and a fresh start after the earthquake. (Selected from the website of the Shihgang Dam Management Center, Central Taiwan Water Resources Office, Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs)