Wasteland Border Inspector-Chapter 377 - 149: Exaggerated Fish Stock, Restoring the Hydropower Station! (With Images)
The crack extends diagonally upward from the middle section of the dam body, wide enough at the widest point to fit two fingers. The concrete along the edges is covered with a dark brown powder, which crumbles easily with a gentle touch.
Looking down along the crack, the surface of the dam body appears pitted and uneven. In some places, the cement layer has shed, exposing the rusty and blackened rebar underneath, like skeletal bones protruding.
"The carbonization and corrosion are really severe."
Cheng Ye was shocked; the professional knowledge he learned from books was finally presented so vividly in front of him.
In modern times, such a facility would likely be classified as a dangerous building scheduled for demolition and reconstruction before reaching this degree of carbonation.
He reached out and touched the surface of the dam, feeling the cold and rough texture with his fingertips. The surface layer of the concrete had long lost its original hardness, and a light scratch would leave a shallow mark.
His gaze shifted towards the spillway, where the casing of the gate machine had rusted into a reddish-brown color, the surface pockmarked as if gnawed by countless insects.
The entrance to the water conveyance tunnel was hidden in the shadow of the dam’s side. Although the cracks inside couldn’t be seen, there were obvious seepage marks forming dark water streaks around the entrance.
"This... repair?"
Cheng Ye looked at the scene before him, unable to suppress a sense of dread in his heart.
But circling to the backside of the dam, he found that the situation was significantly better here.
He thought that as long as those gaps could be sealed, some surface reinforcement done, the gears repaired, and the hydroelectric turbine reconnected, it should be possible to restore power.
As for how long it would last, it was uncertain, but it should not be a problem to hold up for a few years.
"Let’s go inside and take a look."
Cheng Ye steadied himself and stepped forward first.
Following the moss-covered pathway on the dam, each step on the slippery bricks had to be firm before venturing further.
Just as Jiang Chuan said, the maintenance of Happiness City was not mere talk; the doors and windows of the main room were still intact.
Pushing the door open and walking in, a damp and moldy smell hit him in the face.
A transparent moisture-proof box was prominently hung on the wall, neatly packed with some documents inside.
The original spot for the turbines was empty, with only a dark hole remaining, clearly removed by someone.
Looking down through the hole, the reservoir’s gate machine was indeed completely damaged, left in an open state, and had entirely lost its water storage capability.
But it was also precisely because of this that the dam had survived several flood seasons until now.
If it still maintained its water storage function, it would likely have been washed away by the surging river long ago.
"I brought the key!"
Jiang Chuan fished a key out of his pocket, walked to the moisture-proof box, unlocked it, and took out the documents inside.
They were densely packed with data, which he couldn’t understand, so he handed them directly to Cheng Ye.
Cheng Ye took the documents and flipped through them. There were quite a few technical terms, especially concerning the detailed parameters of the hydroelectric turbine sets, which he couldn’t fully understand at once. However, he could make sense of the basic data.
The data indicated that White Water Dam’s installed capacity was around 300 kW.
Based on this data, one could deduce that the river flow back then should have been around 12 cubic meters.
This means that with a 4-meter wide and deep river, a drop of about 5 meters, and a flow speed of roughly 0.5 meters, it was a very gentle small river.
But times have changed; the current river flow speed is clearly over 1 meter. According to this calculation, the turbine capacity can be increased to at least 500 kW.
This is already a very considerable figure. Through energy storage facilities, this power station can generate over 10,000 kilowatt-hours a day, which is entirely sufficient to meet the needs of Dapo Town and could even supply surrounding areas like Wenlu County and nearby Long Water Town, Cloud Water Town.
"And even after it’s repaired, once Happiness City takes over the infrastructure, this power station can fully support just me..."
Cheng Ye couldn’t help but feel stirred.
If he could have his own power station, he would no longer have to worry about charging the pendant.
At that time, he would determine how much electricity to use and where it would go, wouldn’t he?
Of course, the realistic issues were also right in front of him: the funds for repairing the power station, the cost of purchasing turbine sets, each of which was not insignificant.
The head height of White Water Dam is only 5 meters, suitable only for axial flow turbine sets, and it would depend on whether there is stock available in Happiness City’s warehouse.
Flipping to the back of the documents, these were the data left from years of surveys:
Starting from the 5th year of the New Era, the initial surveys were conducted every two years, continuing for 8 cycles.
By the 21st year of the New Era, it changed to a three-year cycle, with the latest record stopping at the 12th cycle of the 33rd year of the New Era.
Based on the latest data, Cheng Ye walked out of the machine room and made a more detailed assessment of the overall dam.
The professionalism throughout the process left Jiang Chuan clicking his tongue in admiration from the side.
He couldn’t understand how Cheng Ye, who had never left Happiness City in his entire life, could immediately get started on investigating external infrastructure.
The more data Cheng Ye mastered, the more he understood why this facility was abandoned.
The resource investment and output were entirely disproportionate!
Instead of spending efforts to repair such scattered micro power stations, it would be better to concentrate on maintaining large power stations in the Industrial Zone.
In the early stages of Happiness City’s construction, naturally, resources were to be consolidated, focused, and central.
During the Great Expansion era, the focus was on external resource plunder, leaving no time for the surroundings.
Until today, a large population influenced by the Wanderer has come, creating the space to pay attention to the surroundings.
