The Project 635 Dam () is one of the three dams constructed on the

Irtysh River The Irtysh is a river in Russia, China, and Kazakhstan. It is the chief tributary of the Ob and is also the longest tributary in the world. The river's source lies in the Mongolian Altai in Dzungaria (the northern part of Xinjiang, China) cl ...

in China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The

embankment dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface ...

is located in Fuhai County, about 56 km east of Beitun. It creates a reservoir (the Project 635 Reservoir, ), which serves as the source of water for the Irtysh–Karamay–Ürümqi Canal. Water from the reservoir is used for industry, agriculture and power. Construction on the dam began in 1998 and it began to impound its reservoir in 2000. The dam was complete in 2001.

Proposed water transfer from the Burqin River

The Project 635 reservoir is required not only to supply the Irtysh–Karamay–Ürümqi Canal with water, but also to maintain a sufficient amount of water flow in the Irtysh below the dam, for the local agricultural use and ecosystem maintenance. To improve the water balance at the reservoir, the local authorities are envisioning the so-called Project for Bringing Western Water to the East (西水东引工程). The project would involve the construction of a canal whereby water could be transferred from the Burqin Shankou Reservoir on the Burqin River to the Project 635 reservoir on the Irtysh.额河建管局工程建设和科技发展情况
(Overview of the construction and scientific development projects of the Irtysh Development and Construction Authority), 2010-08-05, by Irtysh Basin Development and Construction Authority (额尔齐斯河流域开发建设管理局)
(Bringing Irtysh Water to Help Karamay (Ürümqi) Project (Project 635)) Even though the Burqin is a tributary of the Irtysh, its natural confluence point with the Irtysh is in Burqin Town (the county seat of Burqin County), which is over 100 km downstream from the Project 635 Dam, and in the absence of the "Bringing Western Water to the East" canal its waters would not be available at the Project 635 location.

Notes

{{Irtysh River dams Dams in China Dams on the Irtysh River Hydroelectric power stations in Xinjiang Dams completed in 2001 China Projects

Proposed water transfer from the Burqin River

See also

Notes