This is the first time in the 61-year history since its construction that the Tanjian Hydroelectric Dam has opened all 9 floodgates.
At 6 AM on July 8, the water level of the Tanjian Hydroelectric Dam reservoir (Zhejiang) reached 108.37 meters and continued to rise.
As a result, the provincial Water Resources Department decided that starting from 9 AM on the same day, the reservoir would open all 9 gates to release floodwaters, resulting in a total flow rate of 7,800 m³/second.
This is the first time in the 61-year history since its construction that the Tanjian Hydroelectric Dam has opened all 9 floodgates. The only previous occasion when this dam opened all 9 gates was during a test release in 1966, but at that time, the reservoir’s highest water level was only 103.08 meters.
Notably, as the floodgates were opened, schools of grass carp also flowed out of the reservoir, creating a scene described by Chinese media as “fish flying in the sky.”
“Wow, it’s all fish!” exclaimed a local resident witnessing the dam’s flood release.
According to reporter Chang Zhuo from the Shanghai Morning Post, these schools of fish either lived in Tian Island Lake—where the Tanjian Hydroelectric Dam is built—or escaped from local fish farms around Tian Island due to heavy rains.
Several images reportedly show residents of Zhejiang harvesting grass carp as a result of the flood release from the Tanjian Hydroelectric Dam:
