The eighth-time channeling of Yellow River water to Tianjin was brought to a successful end at 12 p.m. on January 6, 2004.
As learned the eighth Yellow River water diversion to Tianjin boasts of the largest volume of water channeled and longest duration of diversion of all water diversions in the past. According to the plan, 1.2 billion cubic meters of Yellow River water is supposed to be diverted from the Weishan Sluice Gate at first and 500 million cubic meters received at the Jiuxuan Sluice Gate in Tianjin city. Water was formally sluiced out through the Weishan Sluice Gate at 15:48 p.m. on September 12, 2003. Till 12 p.m. January 6, Yellow River water of 925 million cubic meters was channeled through the Weishan Sluice Gate and 510 million cubic meters received through Tianjin Jiuxuan Ditch. The water diversion lasted 117 days, some 50-odd days ahead of the schedule.
Due to the rare floods along the Yellow River in autumn, the water diversions in the diversion period are all operated at high water mark. Meanwhile, the autumn floods along the Yellow River also increased the sand volume in the water channeled and had a negative impact on the normal water diversion. Under the correct guidance of China's Ministry of Water Resources and Command Office of the State Flood Prevention and Draught Control, various departments worked closely together through scientific coordination. Shandong and Hebei two large provinces along the route of the watercourse offered their wholehearted support to overall situation, thereby realizing the objective of water diversion from the Yellow River to Tianjin in a most orderly way with the highest water reception rate.