Hongfeng Lake ecosystem improved

A corner of Hongfeng Lake in Qingzhen city, a county-level city affiliated to Guiyang, capital city of Southwest China's Guizhou province. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

In recent years, the environmental awareness of Guiyang residents and tourists has increased, leading to an improved ecological environment around Hongfeng Lake.

Most of Hongfeng Lake is located within Qingzhen city, covering a water area of 1,596 square kilometers. It has a total effective reservoir capacity of 442 million cubic meters and serves as a crucial drinking water source for Guiyang City and Gui'an New Area.

Previously, industrial pollution, large-scale cage fish farming, and tourism development without regard for environmental protection caused outbreaks of blue-green algae in Hongfeng Lake, severely threatening the water environment.

To protect the lake's ecosystem, Qingzhen implemented measures such as wastewater management in lakeside villages, converting lakeside areas into parks, and adjusting agricultural structures.

Qingzhen invested 180 million yuan ($24.94 million) to build 134 new sewage treatment systems and supporting pipelines. It also made efforts to treat domestic sewage from 17 administrative villages and 128 village groups around the lake, as well as purified about 3,000 metric tons of sewage daily.

Subsequently, Qingzhen developed ecological brands featuring organic tea gardens, high-quality orchards, flower gardens, and green vegetable gardens.

After years of governance, monitoring data on 28 indicators, including chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, and permanganate index, show that the water quality of Hongfeng Lake has gradually improved. On April 19, Hongfeng Lake was designated the title of "Beautiful Lake of Guiyang and Gui'an in 2024" by the Guiyang people's government.