Bulletin on the Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Results of the Three Gorges Project 2016 Content Overview.......................................................................................................................................................3 Chapter 1 Operation of the Three Gorges Project...................................................................................5 Chapter 2 Economic and Social Development..........................................................................................7 Chapter 3 Natural Ecology and Environment..........................................................................................9 3.1 Climate................................................................................................................................................9 3.2 Forest resources................................................................................................................................12 3.3 Terrestrial plants................................................................................................................................13 3.4 Terrestrial animal species..................................................................................................................14 3.5 Rare and endemic aquatic animals....................................................................................................14 3.6 Agroecology......................................................................................................................................16 3.7 Fishery resources and environment..................................................................................................16 3.8 Earthquake and geological disasters.................................................................................................19 Chapter 4 Discharge of Pollution Sources..............................................................................................21 4.1 Discharge of industrial effluent........................................................................................................21 4.2 Discharge of urban pollutants...........................................................................................................21 4.3 Agricultural non-point pollution......................................................................................................23 4.4 Discharge of ship pollutants.............................................................................................................23 Chapter 5 Status of Water Environment Quality..................................................................................25 5.1 Streamflow........................................................................................................................................25 5.2 Water quality......................................................................................................................................25 5.3 Trophic state and algal blooms of main tributaries............................................................................25 1 Content Chapter 6 Status of Public Health ............................................................................................................28 6.1 Basic situation...................................................................................................................................28 6.2 Life statistics.....................................................................................................................................28 6.3 Monitoring of diseases......................................................................................................................28 6.4 Monitoring of biological media........................................................................................................29 Chapter 7 Environmental Quality of the Dam Area...............................................................................31 7.1 Hydrology and meteorology..............................................................................................................31 7.2 Air quality.........................................................................................................................................32 7.3 Water quality.....................................................................................................................................32 7.4 Noise.................................................................................................................................................33 Chapter 8 Monitoring and Studies on Ecological Environment............................................................34 8.1 Wanzhou Model Zone.......................................................................................................................34 8.2 Zigui Model Zone.............................................................................................................................35 8.3 Water-level-fluctuating zones............................................................................................................36 8.4 Groundwater dynamics and soil gleization.......................................................................................37 8.5 Water-salt dynamics and soil salinization in the estuary .................................................................37 8.6 Ecological environment in the estuary..............................................................................................39 8.7 Wetlands in the midstream................................................................................................................40 8.8 Upstream watersheds .......................................................................................................................45 8.9 Algal blooms in main tributaries.......................................................................................................46 2 Bulletin on the Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Results of the Three Gorges Project 2016 Overview In 2015, the Three Gorges Water Project maintained bn. yuan, marking an increase of 4.9%, 11.0% and good operation, and the 175 m trial impoundment was 12.2% respectively than that of 2014. achieved in success for the sixth consecutive time, giving full play to the comprehensive role of flood control, The mean annual temperature of the project area power generation, navigation, and water resources posted 18.4℃ , which was on the high side compared utilization. During the flood season between Jun. 10 with average year. The area experienced 1,176.4 mm and Sept. 10, a total of 7.542 bn. m3 floodwater was mean annual precipitation, higher than that of average impounded. The Three Gorges power plant generated year. The mean relative humidity was 77%, close to about 87 bn. kWh electricity throughout the year. The that of average year, while the mean evaporation was navigation lock had been operated safely and efficiently obviously less than average year, standing at 897.3 with annual freight volume of 110 mil. t. The project mm. The mean wind speed posted 1.6 m/s, higher replenished the lower reaches with 29.1 bn. m3 water than that of historical average. during the withered water season. The forest area reached 2.7717 mil. ha., the forest The permanent population of the Three Gorges Project coverage registered 48.06%, and the forest growing area had reached 14.6528 mil. by the end of the year, stock was 144.7118 mil. m3 in the project area. The area up by 0.6% compared with that of 2014; the registered of arable land of the project area stood at 409,800 ha., population stood at 17.0667 mil., down by 0.2%. The and the planted acreage was 605,200 ha. with multiple people in the area were in good health. The GDP of cropping index of 210%. Grain crops still dominated the project area reached 699.206 bn. yuan, up 11.1% agricultural production. compared with that of 2014. The primary industry, secondary industry and tertiary industry achieved value The natural fishery catches in the project area, added by 66.78 bn. yuan, 349.693 bn. yuan and 282.734 downstream the dam, and in the Dongting Lake and 3 Overview Poyang Lake totaled 62,500 t. The fish fry amount of In the project area, 212 mil. t wastewater was the four major Chinese carps was about 510 mil. at discharged from industrial sources including 34,200 Jianli section downstream the Dam, a slight increase t COD and 2,200 t NH3-N. Discharges of domestic compared with that of the same period of the previous sewage amounted to 815 mil. t including 124,100 t year. The survey at the upstream of the project area COD and 22,300 t NH3-N. Up to 601.8 t pesticides were found 29 endemic and 6 alien fish species. Natural applied in the area, while the application of fertilizers propagation of Acipenser Sinensis Gray was not found in stood at 135,000 t. Up to 394,000 t ship oil-contaminated the known spawning sites downstream Gezhouba Project water was generated, of which 356,000 t met discharge during monitoring. Juvenile Acipenser Sinensis Gray standards. Shipboard domestic sewage totaled around was spotted in the lower reaches and the estuary of the 3.717 mil. t. Yangtze River, which suggested propagation activities at the end of 2014 or the beginning of 2015. The annual average water quality of the mainstream of Yangtze River in the project area was good and that The Three Gorges Project area observed 441 earth of Jialing River was excellent. TP in partial waters of quakes rated at M≥0.0, and they were