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Ecological Restoration of Polluted Plain Rivers Within the Haihe River Basin in China

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Abstract

The Haihe River basin is located in the north of China and has an area of 318,000 km2. The region is politically important and economically advanced. For example, the Haihe River basin sustains a population of more than 120 million and generates a gross domestic production of approximately 2,600 billion Chinese Yuan. The ecological health of plain rivers within the Haihe River basin of China is questionable because of severe water shortages, considerable water, soil and air pollution, and the destruction of the natural river morphologies. It is therefore necessary to establish a generic and theoretical restoration methodology to guide river ecological restoration efforts in the future. Thirteen methodologies and technologies were selected from an existing suit of ecosystem restoration techniques currently applied to the Haihe River catchment. These technologies were further divided into three types: water quantity adjustment, water purification, and habitat improvement. The most suitable ecological restoration techniques were selected as a function of all three types. However, direct methods of addressing water quantity and quality problems were identified as critical for the success of future restoration efforts. Examples of the application of the conceptual ecological restoration model for the representative plain rivers Beiyunhe, Yongding and Wei, all located within the Haihe River Basin, are also assessed. The conceptual model provides practical solutions to pollution problems, is generic in nature, and could therefore be applied to other polluted watercourses in densely populated regions in the developed and developing world.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin (Grant No. 09ZCGYSF00400), National Key-Projects of Water Pollution Control and Prevention (2008ZX07314-005-011 and 2009ZX07209-001), the Commonweal Projects Specific for Scientific Research of the Ministry of Water Conservancy of China (Grant No. 200801135), the Open Fund of China Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Research and National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB403408). Miklas Scholz is a Visiting Professor at Nankai University. Bilateral collaboration is financially supported by The Royal Society. The authors greatly appreciated support provided by S. Y. Hou, Y. Xie, W. Shi, X. W. Xu, L. M. Wang, and T. F. Z. Tang.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control in Tianjin, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, People’s Republic of China

    W. Wang, X. Q. Tang & S. L. Huang

  2. Water Resources Administration, Haihe River Water Conservation Commission, Ministry of Water Resources of China, Tianjin, 300170, People’s Republic of China

    S. H. Zhang & C. Lin

  3. Institutes for Water Resources Protection, Haihe River Water Conservation Commission, Tianjin, 300170, People’s Republic of China

    D. W. Liu & H. J. Che

  4. Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, William Rankine Building, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JL, Scotland, UK

    Q. Yang & Miklas Scholz

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  1. W. Wang
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  2. X. Q. Tang
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  3. S. L. Huang
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  4. S. H. Zhang
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  5. C. Lin
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Correspondence to S. L. Huang or Miklas Scholz.

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Wang, W., Tang, X.Q., Huang, S.L. et al. Ecological Restoration of Polluted Plain Rivers Within the Haihe River Basin in China. Water Air Soil Pollut 211, 341–357 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-0304-5

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