The Ministry of Environmental Protection recently announced the results of winners that are granted with the 2012 S&T Award for Environmental Protection. The project “Mechanisms and integrative technology for water pollution control of urban rivers and lakes”, primarily undertaken by Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was granted with the 2^nd prize of the 2012 S&T Award for Environmental Protection.  

Delving into the serious water pollution problems of urban rivers and lakes during the rapid urbanization in China, the project team analyzed the characteristics of urban river pollution and elucidated the 8 basic features in environmental ecology of urban rivers and lakes, based on which, they had a comparative study on both the common and unique features of urban rivers and lakes in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River and Pearl River. For the first time, they elucidated the mechanisms underlying the control of urban river pollution and proposed an approach that can control the internally and externally generated pollutants by shifting location. By resorting to the technologies applied in environmental engineering and ecological restoration, the project team also developed technologies related to river diversion and the avoiding of river peak flow, impelling of aeration, fixation of sediment by organisms, and safe spreading of local ecological microorganisms in water bodies and restoration of vegetation etc.  

The project has realized the improvement of the sediments and water quality of urban rivers and lakes and restored their ecosystems. So far, the technology has been promoted and applied in Hubei, Shanghai, Yunnan and Guangdong, generating evident environmental and ecological benefits.