Hydropower poses a threat to Shanghai water

Space Daily via UPI:  Extensive hydropower development in the upper reaches of China's Yangtze River poses a threat to the future safety of Shanghai's water supply, says a new study.

The report, by Yangtze River Fishery Resources Committee under the Ministry of Agriculture and World Wide Fund for Nature, known as WWF, is based on a scientific expedition by 32 researchers from government agencies and NGOs through five provincial regions carried out in June.

"One of the most direct consequences for Shanghai is the reduction of the total amount of fresh water that flows from the upper reaches," Yong Yi, a project manager at WWF's Shanghai office, was quoted as saying by the Global Times. "This will cause water safety problems for Shanghai, because the coastal city will suffer from seawater intrusion."

As part of China's energy plan, more than 25 hydropower stations are planned along the 1,434-mile long Jinsha River, one of the major headwaters of the Yangtze. The facilities will be about 62 miles apart and together will supply power equivalent to four times the amount of China's massive Three Gorges Dam project, the world's largest power station that has an installed capacity 22,500 megawatts....

A NASA view from space of the Three Gorges Dam