LUOHU District’s water conservation and water affairs bureau denied rumors that the Wutongshan River, a protected water source for Shenzhen Reservoir, was being polluted by sewage flowing into the river, the Daily Sunshine reported Wednesday.

    The river, winding from Wutong Moutain through Kengbei Village before flowing into Shenzhen Reservoir, is the only natural water source in Luohu District.

    A video posted online Dec. 28 claimed that the river was polluted, with pictures showing sewage being discharged into the river’s lower-reach and a section of the river in Kengbei Village that was directly linked to sewage pipes. Garbage bags were also shown floating in the river.

    The newspaper reported that a sewage drain next to the river was emitting a foul smell and that vegetation around the riverbed was covered by grains of Styrofoam.

    The water conservation and water affairs bureau in Luohu District said they were investigating the online claim. An officer surnamed Li in the bureau said that river maintenance workers discovered pollution in the area a few days ago and the bureau had been handling the matter.

    The sewage was later found to be coming from a drainage well, which was clogged by a huge amount of Styrofoam.

    Li said the sewage drainage pipes actually run separately from the waterway, although they appear to be linked. He also said that each day water maintenance workers would collect garbage in the waterway. A sewage pipe in Kengbei Village that had been suspected to be discharging sewage turned out to be a rainwater drainage pipe.

    A spokesperson from the local water supply company said that it had examined water quality every day and recent examinations indicated that water in the reservoir was safe.

    (Anna Zhao)