​Guiyang Daily | From Black and Stinky Water to "New Landmark" —Transformation Record of Qicai Lake Park in Baiyun District

The lake water is rippling with blue waves, and the trees stand tall and the water grass is green. Occasionally, a few ducks can also be seen playing in the lake... This is the Qicai Lake Park in Baiyun District. Surprisingly, the now beautiful Qicai Lake was once a famous muddy pond in the local area.

Qicai Lake was originally two abandoned fish ponds in Jichang Village, Yanshanhong Town, Baiyun District. Due to the incomplete urban pipeline network, the pollution interception ditch around the lake has been in disrepair and silted up for a long time. In addition, the rapid gathering of surrounding population has led to a significant increase in external pollution sources. A large amount of mixed water has been discharged into the lake for a long time, resulting in the growth of algae, eutrophication, and deterioration of water quality in Qicai Lake.

Wang Huiming is an old resident near Qicai Lake, who has lived here for decades. In her memory, Qicai Lake looks different. "In the past, the environment here was very poor, with black and foul smelling water in the ditches. The nauseating odor could be smelled from afar, and residents living nearby dared not open their windows. Now, the muddy pond has become a park, providing us with a good place for leisure and entertainment," said Wang Huiming.

The beautiful transformation of Qicai Lake is inseparable from the attention and governance of water environment in Guiyang City. In 2017, the government of Baiyun District made up its mind to address this common problem among the people. It took the lead in establishing a special team for the comprehensive improvement of Qicai Lake, launching the Qicai Lake water environment comprehensive treatment project, and adopting a PPP model. It introduced Guizhou Yunxin Water Environment Industry Co., Ltd., a Chinese water environment group, as a social investor, and invested 370 million yuan to build the Qicai Lake Wetland Park, thoroughly rectifying the black and odorous water body of Qicai Lake.

"Our entire governance project is aimed at controlling sources and intercepting pollution, endogenous governance, active water circulation, clean water supply, water quality purification, and landscape construction. It is implemented in two steps, with the aim of fundamentally solving the water environment problems of Qicai Lake. It is not just about water treatment alone, but also more about what water environment governance can bring to people's lives." Yang Chuankuan, Production Manager of Qicaihu Reclaimed WWTPof Guizhou Yunxin Water Environment Industry Co., Ltd.

In the first stage of governance, Yunxin Water took two months to complete the cleaning of household waste, floating duckweed, and aquatic plants around Qicai Lake. It also connected and dredged the sewage interception ditches along the lake, closed seven car washing yards by the lake.The old "pollution sources" were continuously cleaned up, and new sewage interception pipe networks, sewage tunnels, and other facilities were gradually built. The area gradually realized that sewage should be fully connected to the pipeline network.

In 2018, the construction of the second phase of the Qicai Lake water environment comprehensive treatment project began, and the on-site command center for the Qicai Lake water environment comprehensive treatment project was established. To solve the problem of treating the key element of "water" in Qicai Lake, Yunxin Water Affairs has built a Qicai Lake Reclaimed WWTPto mainly intercept the water in Qicai Lake Park for treatment. The treated water flows through a three-level wetland for further purification, and turbid water is transformed into clear springs, becoming the main source of ecological replenishment water in Qicai Lake Park. In April 2019, the Qicai Lake Park, which was built with supporting facilities, opened and became a great place for nearby residents to relax and enjoy nature.

"The Qicai Lake Reclaimed WWTPadopts the fifth generation Distributed UndergroundReclaimed Water Ecosystem independently developed by China Water Environment Group. With the concept of 'moderate concentration, local treatment, and on-site reuse', it highlights the characteristics of 'environmental friendliness, resource utilization, and ecological security', solves the problem of environmental protection facilities and residents' land disputes and 'neighbor avoidance', and realizes the reuse of resources and energy." Yang Chuankuan said.

Passing through the Qicai Lake Park, not far away is the Qicai Lake Reclaimed WWTP. In a room of the plant, a large screen plays real-time footage of the water inlet, outlet, and interior of the Qicai Lake Park. This is our 'Smart Water Management'. The treatment of Qicai Lake and the completion of park construction are not the end point. The goal is to monitor and control the water environment of the entire park well, so that a good ecological environment can benefit the people for a long time. Currently, Smart Water Management can monitor and display the water quality of the park's inlet and outlet, and report abnormal situations to the police, reminding us to deal with them immediately. In 2024, we will further upgrade smart water management to achieve more comprehensive monitoring and management of the water environment Yang Chuankuan said.

Nowadays, the black and odorous water body of Qicai Lake Park has long disappeared. Looking around, the park is well arranged, with fitness trails along the lake and a large number of aquatic plants planted by the lake. The greenery and landscape are integrated into the city, making it a must visit place for nearby residents to relax and entertain.