A three-stage purification process used in Hsinchu City’s Gangnan Canal Park (港南運河公園) has significantly improved the environment and enlivened the canal, which had much of its life choked off by algae, the Hsinchu City Government said.
The improved water conditions have made the park an attraction for canoeing, it added.
The 20m wide, 1.5km long canal had previously suffered from eutrophication amid a lack of urban planning, an oversight that the city government has sought to correct since 2018.
Photo courtesy of the Hsinchu City Government
The plan was to landscape the entire canal shoreline to make it an attraction in the Hsinchu 17 Kilometer Coastline Scenic Area, which was completed in 2018.
The city said it focused on beautifying the area, introducing viewing platforms and greenways, and connecting the park to nearby sites such as Nanliao Fishing Harbor (南寮舊漁港), Oceanview Park and the Jincheng Lake birdwatching areas.
The city in 2020 applied for NT$60 million (US$1.94 million at the current exchange rate) in subsidies for a water purification project throughout the canal, aiming to restore the ecological environment and improve the canal’s ecological sustainability.
Using a multi-soil layering purification system upstream of the canal, about 3,000 tonnes of water have been cycled through the system each day since 2020, which has resulted in the high water quality seen today, the city said.
The canal being a calm, closed-water area makes it suitable for canoeing. After a trial run of canoeing activities in 2019, the city government opened the canal for canoeing during this year’s three-day Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend.
The opening attracted about 200 canoeists, some enjoying the activity for the first time, the city government said, adding coaches were present to help paddlers stay safe.
The city in June completed beautifying the walking paths on the south side of the canal, including greenways, seating and close to 2,000 hectares of grassland, it said.
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