On March 25, 2024, Heilongjiang Province welcomed the start of a major livelihood project - the Xiaobaihe Reservoir. This project was undertaken by China Railway Construction Bridge Bureau. It is not only the first treasury bond funded project in Heilongjiang Province in 2024, but also the first livelihood project in Tieli City. Its construction marks another ecological conservation foundation for China's forestry capital, Tieli, and is of great significance for improving the efficiency of local water resource utilization and improving people's livelihoods.

As a comprehensive water conservancy project, the Xiaobaihe Reservoir mainly serves urban water supply, while also taking into account multiple functions such as high standard farmland irrigation and downstream flood control. The construction of this reservoir will effectively meet the domestic water needs of approximately 270000 residents, improve the irrigation capacity of 22000 acres of paddy fields, and systematically solve the local water supply and demand contradiction. This plays an important role in improving the living conditions of local residents, promoting the development of agricultural production, and enhancing the quality of regional ecological environment.

Tieli City is located in the central part of Heilongjiang Province, under the jurisdiction of Yichun, the forest capital of China. It borders the Xiaoxing'an Mountains to the east and the Songnen Plain to the west. This place has a unique climate unique to the 47 ° north latitude, making Tieli renowned as a green treasure trove of the Xiaoxing'an Mountains. In recent years, Tieli City has achieved significant results in improving urban functional quality and cultural connotation, and has been awarded multiple honorary titles such as China's Natural Oxygen Bar City and National Health City. Pushing windows to see greenery and enjoying the scenery when going out has become a beautiful business card of this city, and green waters and mountains have become an important support for the development of Tieli City.

However, with the continuous advancement of urbanization and population growth, how to reasonably improve the utilization of surface and groundwater resources in the region, further enhance the carrying capacity and utilization level of regional water resources, has become a key link in achieving green development in Tieli City. The launch of the Xiaobaihe Reservoir project is precisely to solve this problem. It is located in the southeast of Tieli City, upstream of the urban water supply basin. After completion, it will achieve joint scheduling with existing water conservancy channels, basically meeting the water needs of the receiving area for domestic, industrial, and municipal use, and ensuring the water source and downstream ecological environment.

It is understood that the total storage capacity of the Xiaobaihe Reservoir project reaches 60.34 million cubic meters, and the flood control storage capacity is 2.55 million cubic meters. In addition, the project will also design an irrigation area of 22000 acres to balance regional farmland irrigation and other functions. This can not only improve the efficiency of water resource utilization in Tieli City, but also promote the modernization and efficiency of local agricultural production.

It is expected that the first phase of the Xiaobaihe Reservoir project will be completed by 2026. At that time, it will further fill the gaps in local water conservancy infrastructure and alleviate the water shortage situation within the city. At the same time, it will also add another ecological conservation foundation to the coordination and sustainable development of society, economy, and environment in Tieli City, injecting new vitality and momentum into this beautiful forest city.

Overall, the construction of the Xiaobaihe Reservoir is a major breakthrough in the development of water conservancy in Tieli City and even Heilongjiang Province. It can not only solve the contradiction between local water supply and demand, improve the quality of life of residents, but also promote the development of agricultural production and the improvement of the ecological environment. In the future, with the completion and operation of the Xiaobaihe Reservoir, Tieli City will usher in a better development prospect.Editor/Cheng Liting