Last weekend, over 70 water-saving volunteers came to the Miyun Reservoir, bringing more than 50,000 fries to the reservoir to breed them there.

Volunteers promote water saving, environment at Miyun Reservoir [CCTV]

The reservoir's management department said that the year of 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of Miyun Reservoir, and the reservoir will be opened to the public at varying intervals to people who save and protect water resources so that Beijing's residents can learn more about the reservoir, which has such a big impact on their lives.

Water saving volunteers visited water facilities, learned about the current condition of water resources in the reservoir through personal experience, and signed their names to promise that they would save on water.

The 50,000 fries are mainly chubs, bighead carps and black carps, which are all vegetarian fish. They are natural "sweepers" that are able to effectively improve water quality.

Miyun Reservoir is Beijing's largest surface water and drinking water resource. Since it was established 50 years ago, it has supplied 23.3 billion tons of water to Beijing, and bred 75 million kilograms of freshwater fish.

To ensure that the water resources there will not be polluted, a protective net was built at the reservoir's first-level protection zone, where a closed management system has been adopted. Paddy rice is not allowed to be planted on the upper reaches of the reservoir so that the reservoir's water can meet the type II drinking water standard.

It is first time that Miyun Reservoir was opened to residents in recent years during which residents can pay a visit to the reservoir and fish can be put and bred in the reservoir.

The management department said that the reservoir will be opened irregularly to residents who want to help preserve water resources in order to help residents learn more about the reservoir as well as arouse residents to love, save and protect water, and encourage them to attend water-saving and protection activities.