◆ Correspondent Jiang Jianping and reporter Zhang Linxia of this newspaper

　　“The peach blossom jellyfish, which usually appear around the Qixi Festival, have been spotted much earlier this year—there are so many of them that sometimes we even accidentally scoop one up when drawing a bucket of water from the lake,” Chen Guoqing, the owner of Mingzhu Island, excitedly told our reporter during an interview recently at the Xihai Scenic Area (formerly known as Zhelin Lake) in Lushan City, Jiangxi Province.

　　The appearance of the peach blossom jellyfish signifies that the water quality of Lushan West Lake is excellent. However, during the provincial environmental inspection in 2017, feedback indicated that in certain areas of Zhelin Lake, the water quality had deteriorated from Class II to Class III. The peach blossom jellyfish, once commonly seen everywhere, have become extremely rare, and the water quality of Zhelin Lake has been showing a slow downward trend.

　　After nearly two years of effort, in 2019, the surface water quality in the Lushan West Sea area has remained consistently stable at Class I to Class II levels. Among these, the water quality at the nationally-controlled monitoring section upstream of the dam was classified as Class I for seven months, placing it among the top three out of 56 major lakes nationwide. From January to May of this year, the water quality at the same nationally-controlled monitoring section upstream of the dam has been consistently at or above Class II.

　　Adapt water management measures precisely to local conditions.

　　“Previously, none of the nine islands open to foreign visitors in Xihai had wastewater treatment plants,” said Zhou Yingtu, Director of the Lushan Xihai Ecological Environment Bureau, with deep emotion. Today, the pollution-control situation in the Lushan Xihai Scenic Area has undergone a dramatic transformation. In recent years, the Xihai Scenic Area has invested over 40 million yuan to build 46 decentralized wastewater treatment plants of various sizes, laid more than 30 kilometers of pipeline networks, and achieved a daily capacity to treat domestic wastewater of 4,450 tons.

　　Meanwhile, efforts to identify and rectify discharge outlets entering the lake have been strengthened. A total of 42 discharge outlets entering the lake were identified across the entire region through inspections, of which 39 discharge outlets have surface water quality meeting or exceeding Class III standards. The Xihai Scenic Area has established detailed records for each discharge outlet and is conducting traceability monitoring to implement a “one-outlet, one-measure” approach.

　　Meanwhile, the Xihai Scenic Area is vigorously promoting the reuse of treated secondary effluent. It has taken the lead in retrofitting the Jin Kou Wharf Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Si Ma Wharf Wastewater Treatment Plant for secondary effluent reuse, channeling the reclaimed water to nearby green spaces and public restrooms. As of now, 20 decentralized wastewater treatment plants have completed their secondary effluent reuse upgrades.

　　Regarding the “six illegal” issues—illegal fishing, unauthorized passenger transport, unlicensed piers, illegal construction, illegal discharge of pollutants, and illegal sand mining—Xihai Scenic Area has joined forces with the Law Enforcement Bureau, environmental protection authorities, the agriculture, forestry, and water resources department, and the port and transportation sub-bureau to carry out joint enforcement efforts. They insist on conducting inspections and remediation at least twice a week, and have collectively dismantled or removed over 400 illegal fishing facilities from shore.

　　Strengthen monitoring and provide early warnings.

　　Since the beginning of this year, the Xihai Ecological Environment Bureau has successively commissioned the Water Environment Research Institute of the Provincial Academy of Environmental Sciences and third-party technical agencies to conduct identification and analysis of harmful algal blooms in five key water areas: Yaochiwang, No. 2 Auxiliary Dam, Simabei Wharf, the main navigation channel of the lake area, and selected bays downstream of Simacang. The bureau has also initiated surface water early-warning monitoring in these key areas and found that some local sections have reached Class IV water quality. The Xihai Management Committee promptly cleared and banned individual net-cage aquaculture operations, salvaged dead fish floating on the water surface for deep burial treatment, and implemented closed-loop management measures.

　　The Xihai Scenic Area is actively conducting sampling and monitoring of surface water in key reservoir bays, effluent from decentralized domestic wastewater treatment plants, and surface water at the upstream and downstream interfaces within the Xihai area. This allows for dynamic tracking of water conditions, regular analysis and compilation of water quality monitoring data, and the preparation of special reports that are submitted to the Party and government leadership of the Xihai Scenic Area, as well as to the lake chiefs upstream and downstream and relevant departments. Early warnings are issued for water bodies experiencing a noticeable decline in water quality.

　　A rapid-response environmental monitoring and emergency response system, as well as an online environmental monitoring system, have been established for Lushan West Sea. One environmental monitoring vessel and one automated water-based monitoring station have been deployed. Traceability monitoring of discharge outlets entering lakes (and rivers) has been carried out, with a total of 42 discharge outlets of various types identified and recorded in a dedicated ledger. Over four phases, samples were collected from and traced back to the sources of 36 water-discharging outlets, and monitoring was conducted accordingly. In addition, a third-party technical agency was engaged in three phases to collect and monitor influent and effluent samples from 21 decentralized wastewater treatment plants. Eleven notices for rectification were promptly issued to those treatment plants that failed to meet the Class I A discharge standards.

　　To consolidate the achievements in water management, Chen Jitian, Party Secretary of the Xihai Scenic Area, has repeatedly urged the scenic area’s officials, staff, and tourism-related enterprises to carefully protect this pristine lake. Today, prioritizing ecology and pursuing green development have become a shared consensus within the Xihai Scenic Area.

　　In 2019, the Xihai Scenic Area received 12.3912 million tourist visits, an increase of 9.5% year-on-year; total tourism revenue reached 9.999 billion yuan, up 10.5% over the previous year; the number of actual visitors entering the lake exceeded one million for the first time, increasing by 24.5% year-on-year; among them, foreign tourists totaled 74,200, up 15.58% year-on-year.

　　An ecological panorama of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature is slowly unfolding in the Xihai Scenic Area, attracting visitors from all over.