Shigang Dam Introduction
Shigang Dam is located at the lower reaches of the Dajia River and is responsible for supplying domestic water to the Greater Taichung area. In 1954, the Ministry of Economic Affairs formed the Dajia River Planning Committee with relevant units to promote multi-objective development for irrigation, power generation, and flood control. In addition to constructing several power plants, dams were built downstream in the basin to regulate the tailwater from these power plants. The Shigang Dam was proposed for construction by the former Water Resources Planning Commission of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1959 and began construction on October 31, 1974, completing on October 15, 1977. The Shigang Dam is a concrete gravity dam designed and constructed entirely by Taiwanese engineers. Since its completion, it has provided public water supply, industrial water, agricultural irrigation water, and vessel water for Taichung Port to the Greater Taichung area and parts of Changhua County, playing an integral role in the economic development of central Taiwan. On September 21, 1999, the Jiji earthquake occurred, causing topographical uplift and displacement near the Shigang Dam, damaging some facilities and challenging the dam's water diversion and storage functions. Government agencies actively repaired and planned restoration projects, successfully restoring stable water supply and injecting new vitality into the Shigang Dam. With the cooperation of the Water Resources Administration and the Central Regional Water Resources Office, emergency repairs swiftly solved the water supply issues in the Taichung area and further developed short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans for post-disaster restoration of the Shigang Dam. By the end of 2000, all emergency repair works were completed, and by the end of 2001, the newly constructed fishway was finished, giving the Shigang Dam a new transformation after the earthquake and a fresh start. (This article is excerpted from the website of the Shigang Dam Management Center, Central Regional Water Resources Office, Water Resources Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs.)
