| Dajia River | |
|---|---|
Shihgang Dam on the Dajia River |
|
| Origin | Nanhu Mountain |
| Mouth | Taiwan Strait |
| Basin countries | Republic of China |
| Length | 124.20 kilometres (77.17 mi) |
| Source elevation | 3,637 metres (11,932 ft) |
| Avg. discharge | 31 cubic metres per second (1,100 cu ft/s) |
| Basin area | 1,235.73 square kilometres (477.12 sq mi) |
The Dajia River (Chinese: 大甲溪; pinyin: Dàjiǎ Xī; literally "big shell river"; DT: Dāi-gâ ke) is a river in north-central Taiwan. It flows through Taichung City for 124 km.[1] The sources of the Dajia are: Hsuehshan and Nanhu Mountain in the Central Mountain Range.[2] The Dajia River flows through the Taichung City districts of Heping, Xinshe, Dongshi, Shigang, Fengyuan, Houli, Shengang, Waipu, Dajia, Qingshui, and Da'an before emptying into the Taiwan Strait.[2]
The Deji Reservoir (simplified Chinese: 德基水库; traditional Chinese: 德基水庫; pinyin: Déjī Shuǐkù; literally "virtuous foundation reservoir"), formed by Techi Dam, is a 592-hectare reservoir on the Dajia.[3] The reservoir provides municipal water, generates hydroelectric power, is used for recreation and prevents flooding.[3]
Taiwan's Central Cross-Island Highway runs along the Tachia River from Heping to Dongshih. The Taichung Beltway begins in Fongyuan and follows the Tachia through into Cingshuei.
The Dajia experiences frequent earthflows during typhoons and heavy rain, damaging homes and breaking up roads, sometimes permanently. In September 2008, rains from Typhoon Sinlaku resulted in storm-swollen waters which washed away supports for a section of Houfeng Bridge (which links Houli Township and Fengyuan City), leaving six people dead.[4] In June 2010, the bridge finally reopened to vehicular traffic after over NT$1.4 billion of reconstruction work.[5]