Reservoir to be built in Huangpu's upper reaches

Shanghai's environment authorities plan to build a reservoir in the upper reaches of Huangpu River to ensure the quality of water pumped from it, local media reported Wednesday.

Zhang Quan, director of the Shanghai Environment Protection Bureau, released the plan after the bureau issued a report on the city's environment in 2012, according to the Shanghai Evening Post.

The report said that the water quality of the Huangpu River and the mouth of Yangtze River in 2012 changed little from 2011.

It also found that the water quality in Yangpu district was the best in the city in 2012. The water quality in Chongming county was the worst. Six districts experienced improved water quality and four saw water quality degrade.

Shanghai now boasts four major water resources, including the Qingcaosha, Chenhang, and Dongfengxisha reservoirs plus the Huangpu River.

The Qingcaosha reservoir in Chongming county, which was put into use last year, supplies water to residents of downtown Shanghai and Pudong New Area, Zhang said. It provides drinking water for 70 percent of the city's residents.

Almost all of the city's drinking water will come from Qingcaosha in the future, said Yang Haizhen, a professor of the College of Environmental Science and Engineering at Tongji University. Meanwhile, the Huangpu River will be the city's backup water source.

It does not mean that Shanghai doesn't need the Huangpu River, Yang said.

The Dongfengxisha reservoir is scheduled to be completed in January 2014, providing water for 700,000 residents in Chongming county, Zhang said.