Country Taiwan Opening date 1930 Construction began 1920 Surface area 13 km2 (3,200 acres) | Status In use Type of dam Embankment Dam Catchment area 58 km2 (22 sq mi) | |
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Location Liujia, Guantian Districts, Tainan Impounds Guantian Creek、Zengwun River （by tunnel） | ||
Descendent of wusanto reservoir engineer returns for memorial service
Wusanto Reservoir (Chinese: 烏山頭水庫; pinyin: Wūshāntóu Shuǐkù), sometimes spelled Wushanto or Wushantou, is a reservoir and scenic area located in Tainan, Taiwan. It is also referred to as Coral Lake due to its zigzagging shoreline. The reservoir was designed by engineer Yoichi Hatta and was the largest in Asia at the time of its completion in 1930.
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020 wusanto reservoir scenic area
Overview
Construction of the Wusanto Reservoir began in 1920 and was completed in 1930, with the project financed by the Japanese colonial government. 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, 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 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.
Scenic area
Today, the Wusanto Reservoir Scenic Area is a popular tourist destination in Tainan. The area includes a memorial and museum for Yoichi Hatta, as well as a replica of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Cherry blossom viewing is a popular event in spring. The area is also known for its abundant native flora and fauna.