Three Gorges Dam to reach full-capacity storage

Combo photo taken on Aug 23, 2012, up, and Sept 14, 2012, bottom, show the different water level in the Three Gorges Dam, in Yichang city, Central China's Hubei province. The dam, the world's largest water control and hydropower project which spans China's Yangtze River, started to reduce water discharge with a full-capacity storage test on Sept 10. The water level in the dam was monitored to reach 165 meters on Sept 14 and it is expected to reach 175 meters by the end of October at the earliest, according to authorities. The reservoir, mainly built to tame the Yangtze River, usually discharges water in May. It alleviates spring droughts in downstream areas, and makes room to contain water from the river's seasonal flooding in summer. The night scene of the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang city, Central China's Hubei province,on Sept 14, 2012. Shipping channel department staff patrol in the Xinjinkou reach of Yunyang county in Chongqing, Sept 14, 2012.