Ministry of Water Resources Website: The special plan of returning the polder to the lake in Baoying Lake of Gaoyou Lake in Jiangsu Province has been approved by the provincial government.

        Recently, the Jiangsu Provincial Government approved the special plan of returning the lake to Baoying Lake in Gaoyou Lake, Jinhu County, with the approval of "Jiangsu Zhengfu [2019] 23. Up to now, 14 provincial-managed lakes in Jiangsu Province have been approved by the Jiangsu Provincial Government.  

        Gaoyou Lake is located in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River and the middle section of the Huaihe River's waterway. It is an important water-carrying Lake in the region. Baoying Lake is a regional lake for storing and stagnating water in the lower reaches of Huaihe River Basin. Because of the prominent problem of reclamation in Gaoyou Lake and Baoying Lake in history, the lake storage capacity and water quality index have declined, affecting the normal function of flood control, water supply and ecology. In order to restore the lake's storage function and water carrying capacity, improve the water quality of the lake and promote sustainable economic development, the Jinhu County Government, coordinated and guided by the Provincial Water Resources Department, initiated the preparation of the plan for returning the abandoned lake to Baoying Lake in Gaoyou Lake in 2018.  

          The main implementation contents of returning embankment to Lake include clearing embankment, enclosure, sediment removal, clearing water passage and river access to lake, etc. The planning area of Gaoyou Lake polder area is 57.54 square kilometers and the enclosure area is 72.18 square kilometers. The total area of Baoying Lake polder area is 22.90 square kilometers and the enclosure area is 18.55 square kilometers. After the implementation of the project, 40.39 square kilometers of free water surface will be added to Gaoyou Lake in Jinhu County and 16.08 square kilometers will be added to Baoying Lake. It is of great significance to enhance the ability of regional flood control and disaster reduction, optimize the allocation of water resources, maintain the healthy ecology of lakes, and ensure the sustainable development of economy, society and water ecological environment.