ENG-2006 — Page 290

238 Land, Public Works and Utilities

of providing much needed room for mud disposal and for restoring the seabed to its natural state.

In addition, the CEDD is responsible for managing disposal facilities for dredged and excavated sediment, and for identifying and managing the supply of marine fill resources for development projects on behalf of the Marine Fill Committee.

The department also maintains a Fill Management Database on fili requirements, mud disposal and surplus excavated materials from major public and private projects to help the construction industry keep track of the sources of fill materials and to make the best use of surplus materials. All project data are available on the department's home page www.cedd.gov.hk.

The department monitors the effect of dredging and disposal activities on the environment, and looks for ways to minimise their impact on marine life.

Water Supplies

Water from Guangdong

Hong Kong began receiving raw water from the Shenzhen Reservoir in Guangdong in 1960 under a scheme that provides it with 22.7 million cubic metres. of water a year. The infrastructure for channelling water to Hong Kong was expanded in 1965 with the building of an 80-kilometre transfer system known as the Dongshen Water Supply System to deliver water from Dongjiang, or East River, to Hong Kong via Shenzhen Reservoir.

Dongjiang is the major source of raw water for Hong Kong. The new agreement signed in April 2006 guarantees long-term supply of Dongjiang water to Hong Kong.

Water Storage and Consumption

Full supply was maintained throughout the year. At the end of 2006, some 435 million cubic metres of water was in storage, compared with 461 million cubic metres a year earlier. Hong Kong's two largest reservoirs, High Island and Plover Cove held a total of 387 million cubic metres. Rainfall of 2 628 millimetres, 19 per cent higher than the annual average of 2 214 millimetres, was recorded in 2006.

The average daily consumption of water in 2006 was 2.64 million cubic metres, compared with 2.65 million cubic metres in 2005. Some 963 million cubic metres of potable water was consumed in 2006, compared with 968 million cubic metres in 2005. In addition, 260 million cubic metres of sea water was used for flushing, compared with 263 million cubic metres in 2005.

Total Water Management

The Government is proceeding with the Total Water Management Programme for rational utilisation, protection and management of water resources and for exploring new water resources. The Government has completed the testing of the pilot desalination plant in Tuen Mun and is now carrying out further tests on the pilot plant in Ap Lei Chau to determine different coastal seawater conditions. On the question of water reclamation and reuse, the Government has commissioned two