Embracing mountains and waters, towering dams block rivers; Flood control and sediment reduction, the vast waves of the Yellow River wash away sand. At the exit of the last canyon in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub stands here. The dam is constructed to regulate sediment, ensure safety and water supply. On September 12, 1994, the main project of Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub began construction. In 1997, the river was intercepted, and in 1999, the gate was lowered for water storage. The main project was completed in 2001. This is the only control project below the Sanmenxia Water Conservancy Hub on the main stream of the Yellow River that can achieve a large storage capacity, with a total storage capacity of 12.65 billion cubic meters, including 7.55 billion cubic meters of silt storage capacity. Since the project was put into operation, it has effectively played a role in flood control, ice prevention, sediment reduction, water supply, irrigation and other functions, with significant economic, social and ecological benefits, providing strong support for promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. The water and sediment regulation have been continuously upgraded. As of the 2023 flood season, the average height of the downstream main channel has decreased by 3.1 meters. The Yellow River water rushes in, causing sediment to churn back and forth, and the rapids roll up thousands of layers of waves. On August 9th, the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub opened three sediment discharge tunnels, once again initiating flood season water and sediment regulation. On the computer screen, real-time data such as sediment concentration, reservoir water level, and inflow/outflow flow rate of the discharge holes change in real time. Li Peng, Director of the Water Dispatch Department of the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub Management Center of the Ministry of Water Resources, introduced: "By discharging large amounts of water to flush the Yellow River, the sediment in the reservoir and river channel is washed into the sea, reducing downstream river siltation. Cracking the inequality of water sediment relationship, Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub is a key link. The Xiaolangdi Water Control Hub controls 92.3% of the Yellow River basin area, 91.2% of the Yellow River runoff, and nearly 100% of the Yellow River sediment transport. The project creates a large flow process by releasing river water at the appropriate time, increasing the scouring force of water flow on the river channel. It can be said that the Xiaolangdi Water Control Hub has made it possible for the Yellow River to adjust water and sediment. Since its first launch in 2002, until the flood season in 2023, the Xiaolangdi Water Control Hub has participated in 27 water and sediment adjustments. The average height of the downstream main channel has decreased by 3.1 meters, and the maximum flood carrying capacity of the downstream main channel of the Yellow River has increased from less than 1800 cubic meters per second to nearly 5000 cubic meters per second, effectively ensuring flood control safety in the downstream of the Yellow River. From individual combat to cascade scheduling, the efficiency of water and sand regulation is higher. Wanjiazhai, Sanmenxia, and Xiaolangdi on the main stream of the Yellow River, as well as Luhun, Guxian, and Hekou villages on the tributaries, are gradually joining in. The upstream and downstream reservoirs cooperate and relay water storage and release, further improving the water flow dynamics, "said Wang Zhenfan, Deputy General Manager of the Yellow River Water Resources and Hydropower Development Group Co., Ltd. From sand removal and sedimentation reduction to ecological improvement, the functions of water and sediment regulation are constantly expanding. Since 2008, the Shandong Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve has received ecological replenishment during the Yellow River water and sediment regulation period for 16 consecutive years. In the past, the Yellow River Delta was threatened by river channel shrinkage, wetland degradation, and coastline erosion. The Yellow River water and sediment regulation brought ecological water and restored 188 square kilometers of wetlands. Now, the natural vegetation coverage rate of the protected area has reached 55.1%, "said the person in charge of the Yellow River Water Resources Committee of the Ministry of Water Resources. Building a digital twin Xiaolangdi platform, the "smart brain" can roll and deduce the operation situation of the next 3 days into the digital twin Xiaolangdi centralized control center. Real time data such as reservoir water level, storage capacity, daily flow rate, sediment concentration, etc. are displayed, and the operation status of facilities and equipment such as gates, power generation, water supply and power supply is clear at a glance. More than 2700 instruments are installed inside and on the surface of hydraulic structures for real-time monitoring, generating over 6000 monitoring data points per day. Staff can use the forecast, early warning, rehearsal, and contingency plan functions of the digital twin Xiaolangdi platform to analyze, judge, and make scheduling decisions, achieving multi-objective comprehensive management and control of safety monitoring, reservoir scheduling, gate monitoring, power generation and operation, water and power supply, data measurement and reporting, and other businesses. On the digital twin Xiaolangdi platform, all relevant production management data can be queried, and professional model algorithms can be used for visual deduction, intuitively and dynamically displaying dam settlement, sediment deposition in the reservoir area, and other situations Ma Xinhong, Director of the Central Control Center of Yellow River Water Resources and Hydropower Development Group Co., Ltd., said. He immediately opened a thermal map of the underwater terrain in front of the intake tower and explained, "The data automatically generates a thermal map, and the sedimentation situation in front of the intake tower is clearly presented." As the "smart brain" of the Xiaolangdi Water Control Hub, how to build the digital twin Xiaolangdi platform? Calculation is the foundation. The Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub has established a monitoring index system for 255 key monitoring points by sharing watershed data and enhancing monitoring perception capabilities to fully obtain data resources. By fully utilizing new equipment and technologies such as satellite remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial survey in the reservoir area, underwater detection and automatic inspection by robots, and rain monitoring radar in the reservoir area, stable online monitoring of sediment content in three sand removal tunnels and through the machine has been basically achieved. Algorithms are the key. How do virtual and real interact? To use digital twins to drive physical entities, it is necessary to integrate professional model algorithms and artificial intelligence technology, "said Dong Zeliang, Deputy Director of the Intelligent Construction and Management Department of Yellow River Water Resources and Hydropower Development Group Co., Ltd." Currently, we have developed professional models such as inflow forecasting models based on river evolution, reservoir erosion and deposition models that integrate traceability erosion and density current calculation. At the same time, we have preliminarily developed remote sensing image AI recognition models, video AI recognition models such as factory water accumulation and water gauge reading. "Computing power is the key. As the hardware foundation of the digital twin Xiaolangdi platform, Xiaolangdi Data Center has been built. Through the cloudification of computing resources, flexible, diverse, and efficient new computing engines are constantly being constructed. Digital twin technology is applied in multiple scenarios. The main goal of the construction of the digital twin Xiaolangdi platform is to support multiple business applications based on the digital twin platform, and achieve functions such as forecasting, early warning, rehearsal, and contingency planning. Wang Zhenfan said, "During periods of high water level or rapid water level decline in reservoirs such as hub flood control scheduling and water and sediment regulation, the digital twin platform can be used to roll and deduce the operation situation for the next three days, effectively improving the scientificity of engineering operation and management decisions." From 2022 to 2024, the digital twin Xiaolangdi platform has been used in flood control drills for the Xiaolangdi project for three consecutive years. During the flood season, the platform utilizes models related to flood control scheduling and the "four predictions" function to conduct daily rolling analysis and calculation of incoming water, sediment, and flood scheduling, assisting in the early detection of problems and conducting flood control consultations and judgments, enhancing the safety and security of flood control. The comprehensive benefits continue to be released, ensuring the continuous flow of the Yellow River for 25 years. The "Huashan" survey ship departed from the dock, with boatman Zheng Jiping steering the ship with both hands, and sailed all the way to the upper reaches of the Yellow River. Outside the driver's cab, Yan Jingliang, the water supervision commissioner of the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub Management Center of the Ministry of Water Resources, is closely monitoring the shoreline and water surface conditions. We insist on conducting monthly administrative law enforcement inspections of the water surface and shoreline in the reservoir area. From January this year to present, we have used a combination of satellite remote sensing, drones, and on-site inspections to verify 419 change patterns on the map and 32 change patterns on site. We have organized 21 shoreline inspections to timely grasp the dynamics of water in the reservoir area and prevent water related illegal activities, "said Yan Jingliang. Strictly implementing the river and lake chief system, strengthening reservoir management, and effectively maintaining the normal water order in the reservoir area Yan Jingliang opened his phone and showed the reporter a WeChat group consisting of more than 400 people called "Xiaolangdi Beautiful Reservoir Area". The members of this group include the river chief offices of cities and counties around the reservoir area, staff from member units, and river chiefs at the township and village levels. Last year, we conducted 19 joint law enforcement actions with the Xiaolangdi Public Security Bureau of the Henan Provincial Public Security Department and the river chief offices, ecological environment, fisheries and other departments around the reservoir area, effectively ensuring the safe operation of the reservoir, "Yan Jingliang said. The Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub plays a huge role in ecological protection, water supply and irrigation, power generation, and other aspects. Improve production and domestic water supply. The Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub effectively ensures spring irrigation, drought resistance, and ecological water use in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, greatly improving the irrigation guarantee rate of about 44 million acres of Yellow River irrigation area downstream, and alleviating the shortage of production and domestic water in the downstream areas along the Yellow River. As of now, the Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub has spatially and temporally regulated over 200 billion cubic meters of water, ensuring the continuous flow of the Yellow River for 25 years. Continuously provide clean electricity. The Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Hub plays an important role in peak shaving and frequency regulation in the Henan power grid, with an average annual power generation of 5.8 billion kilowatt hours. As of the end of July this year, the cumulative on grid electricity consumption was 149.695 billion kilowatt hours, of which 5.123 billion kilowatt hours were generated this year, promoting energy conservation, emission reduction, and economic and social development. (New Society)