Shigang Dam Introduction
The Shigang Dam is located at the lowest reach of the Dajia River and is responsible for supplying water to the Greater Taichung area. In 1954, the Ministry of Economic Affairs formed the Dajia River Project Committee with relevant agencies to promote multi-objective development, including irrigation, power generation, and flood control. In addition to constructing several power plants, a dam was built downstream to regulate the tailwater from each power plant. The Shigang Dam was proposed by the former Water Resources Planning Commission of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1959 and construction commenced on October 31, 1974, with completion on October 15, 1977. The Shigang Dam is a concrete gravity dam completely designed and constructed by Taiwanese nationals. Since its completion, it has supplied public water, industrial water, agricultural irrigation water, and ship water for Taichung Port to parts of the Greater Taichung area and Changhua County, playing an integral role in the economic development of central Taiwan. On September 21, 1999, the Jiji earthquake caused some facilities near the Shigang Dam to be damaged due to changes in terrain elevation and displacement, posing challenges to its water diversion and storage functions. The government actively repaired and planned restoration projects, successfully stabilizing water supply and injecting new vitality into the Shigang Dam. With the cooperation of the Water Resources Agency and the Central Region Water Resources Bureau, emergency repairs quickly addressed the water supply issues in the Taichung area, and further plans for short-term, medium-term, and long-term post-disaster restoration of the dam were developed and executed in sequence. By the end of 2000, all emergency repair works were completed, and new fishway constructions were finished by the end of 2001, giving the Shigang Dam a new appearance and a fresh start after the earthquake. (This article is adapted from the website of the Shigang Dam Management Center, Central Region Water Resources Bureau, Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs)
