en.Wedoany.com Reported - Chongqing Yunyang Xiangyang Reservoir is one of the 150 major water conservancy projects in China's "14th Five-Year Plan," jointly constructed by CCCC First Highway Engineering Group Co., Ltd. and CCCC Changjiang Construction (Western Investment). Recently, the project reached a key milestone: the cumulative fill volume of the reservoir exceeded one million cubic meters, and the core anti-seepage structure of the dam—the asphalt concrete core wall—is about to commence construction, marking a critical phase in the project's progress.
Located in Yunyang County, Chongqing, through which the Yangtze River flows, the Xiangyang Reservoir area has long faced the paradox of "being near the Yangtze yet suffering from water scarcity" due to uneven seasonal precipitation and intermittent water shortages. With a total storage capacity of 108 million cubic meters, the reservoir will, upon completion, address regional water supply deficiencies through a water resource regulation system, ensuring drinking water safety and farmland irrigation for 643,000 residents in Yunyang.
The dam is situated at the throat of the Tuantan River Gorge, where the valley narrows, creating a natural water level drop. This location shortens the dam length, reduces construction volume, and provides excellent flood discharge conditions. The reservoir area, located in a mountain basin with a "small mouth, large belly" layout, has a vast catchment area. Once completed, the reservoir will enable multiple functions, including water storage for power generation, flood control and disaster reduction, and ecological regulation.
The project faces multiple challenges, including a large fill volume, high dam height, narrow construction space, and difficult mountain transportation. The dam has a maximum height of 138 meters and a total fill volume of 10.25 million cubic meters. The project team has laid out zigzag construction access roads on the slopes of the valley on both sides to accommodate the transport needs of large material dump trucks, ensuring full connectivity along the construction route.
The dam body is made of rockfill material, which is permeable. The project team is constructing a 133.7-meter asphalt concrete core wall at the central axis of the dam as the main anti-seepage structure, currently the tallest asphalt concrete core wall under construction in China. This material combines rigidity and flexibility, deforming under external forces to absorb pressure, and can autonomously repair minor cracks through the self-healing properties of asphalt.
The project team has established a digital management and control platform using "BIM+drones+intelligent monitoring," creating 3D digital models of the dam, spillway, and water conveyance system to identify potential construction issues in advance. This platform will continue to provide data support for safety monitoring, flood control scheduling, and water resource allocation after the reservoir is completed and operational.
The core wall filling of the Xiangyang Reservoir dam is progressing, with full completion and operation expected by 2028. At that time, it will resolve drinking water safety issues for over 600,000 residents along the river and meet the irrigation needs of tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland.
