Gaoping River

The Gaoping River headwaters originate near Yushan Like many Taiwanese rivers, the Gaoping carries large amounts of silt, ranging from 36 to 49 million tons per year; The Gaoping River basin is home to at least 66 fish species, 14 of which are endemic. Cyprinid fish Opsariichthys kaopingensis is named after the river. ==History==

During Japanese rule the Gaoping River was known as the . The Japanese colonial government built the Shimo-Tansui Railway Bridge (now known as the Old Gaoping River Iron Bridge), at the time the longest iron bridge in Asia. The bridge was designed by engineer . Due to the unpredictable nature of the river the bridge took eight years to complete, at the cost of 42 lives. On August 27, 2000, flooding damaged a bridge across the Gaoping River causing 16 vehicles to fall into the water, injuring 22 people. In 2009 Typhoon Morakot caused severe flooding along the Gaoping River. About of rain (one year’s typical precipitation) fell over the Gaoping River basin in a period of three days. Several towns along the upper river were destroyed by flooding and landslides, killing up to 500 people. The flow of the river was so strong that it created currents of up to per hour in the Taiwan Strait, damaging or destroying eight submarine cables. ==Human use==

The Gaoping is one of the few rivers in western Taiwan without a major dam in its basin. However, the river is used extensively for irrigation on the Pingtung plain and its tributaries supply water for domestic and industrial use. The Qishan River tributary is diverted to fill Nanhua Reservoir, which provides nearly 90% of the water supply for Kaohsiung City. The project was officially overturned in 2000 by then-President Chen Shui-bian, who stated, “As long as there are alternative ways to supply water to the greater Kaohsiung area, it is not necessary to build the Meinung Dam.” The dam would have flooded an area culturally significant to the Hakka people. The lower part of the river is heavily polluted by runoff from factories and livestock operations, especially from pigs and chickens. A significant amount of contamination originates from the Wuluo River tributary. Up to 65% of the pollution is caused by runoff from swine farms, with another 21% from industry, 13% from domestic waste and 2% from landfills. ==Transportation==

bridge crossing the Gaoping River Provincial Highway No. 20, which provides access between Pingtung County and Taitung County, follows the Gaoping River for about between Liouguei and Haiduan Township. The Ligang Cable-Stayed Bridge crosses the Gaoping on Freeway 3 (Second Southern Freeway) from Kaohsiung to Pingtung County. ==Bridges==

• Kao-Ping Hsi Bridge • Ligang Bridge ==Tributaries==

The main tributaries, from upstream to downstream, are: • Laonong River – Kaohsiung City – 136 km • Zhuokou River – Kaohsiung City – 50 km • Ailiao River – Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County – 67 km • Qishan River – Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County – 117 km • Wuluo River – Pingtung County ==See also==