Water source protection and industrial development in the Shandong Peninsula, China from 1995 to 2004: A case study

Xiashan Reservoir is the largest reservoir in the Shandong peninsula and the major water supply source for urban, industry and agriculture in Weifang, Shandong Province. In the upstream region of Xiashan Reservoir, its industry development ranged in the top three among 12 districts and counties of Weifang from 1995 to 2004. This study investigated changes of water quality in Xiashan Reservoir and its upstream rivers, and analyzed the key industrial developments and industry structure in the upstream region of Xiashan Reservoir between 1995 and 2004, in order to provide potential implications for planning and conducting Xiashan Reservoir protection and the industry development in the upstream region in the future. Five key industries in the upstream region were investigated between 1995 and 2004, including industrial production, water usage, wastewater treatment, and the discharged pollutants. Results showed that the water quality of Xiashan Reservoir gradually improved between 1995 and 2004 and met the requirements of Class III in 2004. Industrial development in the upstream region has increased nearly 7 times, from US$ 163.67 million in 1995 to US$ 1283.69 million in 2004, and shifted in the past decade from food brewery processing industry as the major industry in 1995 to car manufacture and accessory processing as the major industry in 2004. The amounts of water used by the five key industries in 2004 were lower than that in 1995 because of improvements in water utilization and a shift in industry structure. Correspondingly, the total industrial wastewater discharged changed little from 1995 to 2004, but the total CODCr discharged was greatly reduced.