Saturday Trip To The Yunlin County Irrigation Canal Intake

The aged gates which block the Zhuoshui river's flow and divert water into the penstock for the Yunlin irrigation canal. The long, low-lying hill in the background is Baguanshan, which overlooks Changhua county.

Looking downstream (westard) from the top of the gates.

The view upstream (eastward) from between the fourth and third gates; the blue grilles for the entrapment penstock are on the right. 

Looking upstream (northeastward) along the central axis of the massive penstock with Baguanshan visible on the horizon. The left chamber is full of still water and sediment, whereas the right chamber contains flowing water from the entrapment pen above.

Looking downstream (southwestward) as the water from the right chamber flows into a secondary, octagonal penstock.

Panorama of the eight-sided penstock from the southwest. There are five channels connected to this almost circular body of water, two of which contribute water and three of which take it away. The two tributary channels arrive from the north east, and an east-north-east direction. Both are from the Zhuoshui river, but the second one, arriving from the east-north-east direction derives from an entrapment structure on the Jiji barrage. Of the three channels which carry the water away, one carries the lion's share of water and this is the feeder for the Yunlin irrigation canal which empties out into the Beigang river just north of Chiayi county, as per last week's blog post. Of the other two channels, one carries water to a treatment facility (presumably in preparation for residential use) and the other seems to be directed toward a large incinerator plant further downstream on the Yunlin side of the Zhuoshui river.

The Jiji channel bringing water into the octagonal penstock from the entrapment structure at the Jiji barrage.

The main outlet channel with two concrete dividers carrying water out of the octagonal penstock and into the Yunlin irrigation canal on its' way to a final conclusion at the Beigang river.

The next channel takes water out westward toward an incinerator plant. This is the upstream view of the gates.

The last channel feeds water northwest into a treatment facility. Here, the water passes through a slightly narrowed channel aperture and over a treble-crested weir before reaching the gates.

The first of, I think, three gates into the treatment facility.

The second such gate with what look like aeration basins in the background.

The facility houses an agriculture and irrigation museum, which was closed. Yet curiously, there was no shortage of visitors to the site even though there was nothing particularly to do, no vendors and no food or drink. There may have been as many as a hundred people or more just milling about taking selfies. I had expected to be the only person there.

A model waterwheel on display, though the water level in the channel was too low for it to operate. It turned only with the breeze.

Public notice that the Water Bureau is constructing a water treatment facility for Hushan reservoir (湖山水庫) just over nine and a half kilometers to the south.