Baiyangdian Lake is the largest freshwater lake in northern China, often referred to as the "kidney of northern China" that functions as a regulator of the region's ecology. (Photo by Guo Yiming/China.org.cn)
Xiongan New Area launched a campaign to curb pollution and improve the ecology of the Baiyangdian wetland, taking a series of measures such as closing high-polluted plants and installing sewage treatment facilities, according to an action plan released on June 28.
At the center of the wetland area is Baiyangdian Lake, the largest freshwater lake in northern China, covering an area of 366 square kilometers. The name translates to "white ocean," and it is often referred to as the "kidney of northern China," functioning as a regulator of the region's ecology.
However, the lake was on the verge of becoming an ecological dead zone in the late 1980s due to water loss and pollution. Locals recall its dark and murky water giving off a terrible odor, and spotting algae bloom, dead fish and rotten shrimps on the water surface.
A turning point came with the establishment of Xiongan New Area, the landmark economic district located around the lake. Residents saw hope that the special designation for the region would bring about ecological and environmental restorations for this vast body of water.
Local fishermen say they could remember drinking clear lake water from Baiyangdian several decades ago. However, a period of drought in the 1980s depleted the rivers, and the already scarce water resources were polluted from industrial development in northern China.
Making situations worse were dam building projects along the upper reaches of the rivers, which led to poor water circulation.
According to data from the Environmental Protection Department of Hebei province, the water quality of Baiyangdian Lake last November was deemed a level of inferior class V on the national grading system that defines the surface water quality, representing the water is moderately polluted.
Nevertheless, the local authorities have been making efforts to restore the water quality of the lake. One of the measures was banning cage fishing, a practice that made it quicker and easier to harvest fish, but led to intense over-enrichment of the water and caused algae to grow rapidly, therefore degrading the water quality.
Since 2012, the authorities have closed more than 27 polluting factories around Baiyangdian, and guided 68 companies to install sewage treatment facilities and other environmental protection devices. A total of 149 wastewater treatment stations have been established at 45 villages in the areas around the lake, according to officials from Baiyangdian Wetland Nature Reserve Administration.
Ecological experts have said the water level of Baiyangdian Lake should be maintained at between 7.5 and 8.5 meters, which currently sits at about 6 meters. However, the lake has received 100 million cubic meters of water from the central route of the South-to-North Water Diversion project earlier this year, which would help maintain its base water level.
In addition, improving water quality of the lake is listed as part of the master plan for Xiongan New Area that was released this April. The document says that priority shall go to ecological protection while the new area is pursuing green development.
"Ecological protection and green development must be put first," said Wu Hequan, a member of an expert committee on the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
"We will build Xiongan New Area into a model city in the history of human development, and never pursue this development at the cost of environment."
