Shigang Dam Introduction
Shigang Dam is located at the lower reaches of the Dajia River and is responsible for the water supply for the greater Taichung area. In 1954, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, along with relevant agencies, formed the "Dajia River Project Committee" to promote multi-objective development, including irrigation, power generation, and flood control. In addition to constructing several power plants, dams were built in the lower watershed area to regulate the tailwater from various power plants. The Shigang Dam was proposed for construction by the former Water Resources Planning Commission of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1959, with construction starting on October 31, 1974, and completed on October 15, 1977. The Shigang Dam is a concrete gravity dam entirely designed and constructed by Taiwanese engineers. Since its completion, it has provided public water supply, industrial water, agricultural irrigation, and shipping water for the Port of Taichung to the greater Taichung area and parts of Changhua County, playing an inseparable role in the economic development of central Taiwan. After the Jiji Earthquake on September 21, 1999, the area near Shigang Dam experienced terrain uplift and displacement, causing damage to some facilities and challenging the dam's water diversion and storage functions. Through active repair efforts and rehabilitation planning by government agencies, water supply stability was successfully restored, injecting new vitality into Shigang Dam. In collaboration with the Water Resources Agency and the Central Region Water Resources Office, immediate repairs were executed to swiftly resolve the water supply issues in the Taichung area. Furthermore, plans for short-term, mid-term, and long-term disaster recovery at Shigang Dam were developed and executed in sequence. By the end of 2000, all emergency repair works were completed, and by the end of 2001, a new fishway construction project was completed, giving Shigang Dam a transformed appearance and a new beginning after the earthquake. (This article is selected from the website of the Shigang Dam Management Center, Central Region Water Resources Office, Ministry of Economic Affairs)
