Hengsha island connected to Shanghai water supply system

Residents in Hengsha Island, Chongming District, can now enjoy better quality water from city's largest water source Qingcaosha Reservoir after newly-built pump stations connecting the island with the city's main water supply system went into operation yesterday, Shanghai Water Authority announced.

Xinmin Pump Station, one of the three stations on the island, started operations yesterday morning, supplying islanders with water from Qingcaosha Reservoir, effectively putting an end to the island's history of well water use. Some 6,000 residents living in three nearby villages and part of the town are the first group to benefit from the project. 

The other two stations will be ready at the end of this month, providing the entire island population of more than 36,000 to enjoy the reservoir water. That stage will mark the completion of Shanghai's tap water supply network in rural areas. 

"The reservoir water is better quality and contains less minerals than the well water," said Han Jianmin, a manager with Shanghai SMI Water (Group) Co which carried out the project. "The wells, which are set to be all closed by the end of this month, will be used as emergency water sources when something like a mass power cut happens. They can also be used for groundwater recharge to relieve subsidence."

The island's water supply project was launched early last year with the construction of a water pipeline connecting Hengsha with its neighboring Changxing Island, where the reservoir water undergoes processing. 

The hardest part during the construction process is how to lay down pipelines safely along the Yangtze riverbed. "We applied double pipes, a steel pipe outside and a PVC pipe inside, to prevent it from being damaged by vessels," said an official with Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co.