Shihmen Dam will be closed until next May for dredging work, the Northern Region Water Resources Office under the Water Resources Agency announced yesterday.
Torrential rain triggered by Typhoon Aere last month brought large amounts of silt, sand and floating debris into the dam.
The water purification plant in Taoyuan has been unable to function properly because of the turbidity of the water, leaving county residents without water for more than two weeks.
Although the situation has now been stabilized, the silt and debris have continued to affect the proper functioning of the dam and if not handled carefully, the problem will affect the lifespan of the dam.
While the dam is closed, tourists will not be able to gain access to the dam complex, a major attraction.
The temporary closure has caught many restaurant and hotel operators off guard, and they have decided to launch a new promotion campaign to attract tourists.
Meanwhile, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday that the water stoppage in Taoyuan highlighted the fact that water supplies have become a new challenge for the nation.
Lu made the remarks when she presided over a hearing on water resources sponsored by the Science and Technology Advisory Committee under the Presidential Office.
Lu said that the Central Weather Bureau has noted that Taiwan's average temperature has risen by 1.4?C over the past century -- twice the average temperature increase globally -- while the annual number of rainy days has fallen by more than 20 days, although the amount of rainfall has not decreased.
This shows that the rainfall is too concentrated, making flooding more likely. This, combined with poor soil conservation efforts, often leads to natural disasters, Lu said.
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