Large excavators swung their arms, transport trucks shuttled back and forth, and workers were busy with formwork support, reinforcement tying for the gate floor slab, and cushion concrete pouring... On January 24, despite the biting cold wind, the construction site of the Jialing River Chaotian First-Level Ecological Sluice and Dam Project, located 400 meters downstream of the Mingyue Gorge Bridge in Chaotian District, Guangyuan City, presented a scene of bustling construction activity.

　　The Jialing River Chaotian First-Level Ecological Sluice and Dam Project is one of the construction tasks of the Jialing River Chaotian Regional River Governance Project. In recent years, Chaotian District has been committed to researching and exploring ecological city construction to enhance sustainable development capacity. As its preliminary project, the Jialing River Chaotian First-Level Ecological Sluice and Dam officially commenced construction on November 5, 2020.

　　It is reported that the project scope covers the main stream reach of the Jialing River in Chaotian District, Guangyuan City. The dam type is designed as a 4-hole air-shield ecological sluice and dam, with a navigation lock arranged on the left bank. The crest elevation of the ecological sluice is 491.50 m, the sluice floor slab elevation is 487.0 m, and the gate water-retaining height is 4.5 m. After completion, the ecological sluice will form a lake surface of approximately 0.45 km2, with a backwater length of approximately 4.09 km and a storage capacity of approximately 1.88 million m3. At present, the installation of No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 sluice holes and the air-shield dam has been completed, along with the foundation treatment of the navigation lock, and concrete pouring for No. 4 sluice hole is underway.

　　Since the main flood season in Chaotian District of the Jialing River runs from June to September, the project has a tight schedule and heavy tasks. "Roll up our sleeves and work hard, striving to complete the main construction task of the urban ecological sluice and dam project before the main flood season of the Jialing River arrives," introduced Ai Dong, construction manager of the Jialing River Chaotian First-Level Ecological Sluice and Dam. The project resumed construction on October 30, 2023, and is scheduled to complete the main sluice and dam construction before the 2024 Spring Festival, striving to complete all construction before May and meet the conditions for impoundment acceptance.

　　"Advance the construction of the urban ecological sluice and dam project and build a solid ecological barrier for the Jialing River." A responsible person from Chaotian District stated that after completion, the Jialing River Chaotian First-Level Ecological Sluice and Dam Project will raise the water level of the Jialing River during the dry season, increase the water body area, and create conditions for ecological restoration and protection of the river reach. At the same time, it will improve the regional water environment and urban riverside landscape, enhance the city's quality, thereby driving regional industrial development and injecting new vitality into the economic development of Chaotian urban area.