Aerial photo of Baiyangdian Lake, northern China's largest freshwater wetland, which will be part of the Xiongan New Area. (Photos: Xinhua)

Beijing -- The major construction of a mammoth water diversion project that aims to channel fresh water from the Yellow River to Baiyangdian Lake has been completed and passed acceptance testing, said officials from the Hebei Provincial Department of Water Resources.

The project, which began to construct on October 26, 2015, will play a key role in maintaining the ecological environment and water resources safety of the newly-established Xiongan New Era, where the Baiyangdian Lake locates, officials said.

Aerial photo of the water project in the city of Xingtai, Hebei Province. 

After passing the acceptance appraisal, the water diversion project can be put in use and will provide water to Baiyangdian Lake and areas along the channel, officials said.

The 482-kilometer-long water project, which starts at Puyang in Henan Province and runs across 26 counties in Henan and Hebei provinces, spans the Yellow River and Haihe River areas in northern China. It is listed as one of 172 water projects by the State Council to help save and supply water resources.

"Upon its full completion, 255 million cubic meters of fresh water will be poured into the Baiyangdian Lake annually," said Zhao Jianmin from Anxin County's water resources bureau. Anxin is one of the three counties in Hebei Province that form the Xiongan New Area. The other two counties are Xiongxian and Rongcheng.

Established on April 1, the construction of Xiongan New Area is described as part of the “millennium strategy” to advance the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Unlike other “new areas,” the Xiongan New Area takes places under the direct oversight of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

The Xiongan New Area giant diverting water project consists part of the 172 important national strategic projects on water conservation, water supply and hydraulic engineering. The project will guarantee the ecological water resources in Xiongan New Area.