TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Water at the Mataian River barrier lake in Hualien County is nearly drained after a month of dam-lowering work, reducing flood risk downstream.

CNA reported Monday that stored water fell from about 279,000 to 26,000 cubic meters after crews cut down the landslide dam and drained the water away. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said the result marked the successful completion of a major risk-control phase.

After the Mataian River barrier lake overflowed on Sept. 23, 2025, the agency moved to reduce the danger from remaining water, according to UDN. It hired a landslide lake engineering team that began moving up the creek in December to lower the river channel at the dam site.

The agency’s Hualien branch said crews worked under unstable weather, cold mountain conditions, limited food supplies, and constant rockfall risks. It added that supply routes were cut several times by slope collapses and debris flows.

Officials said construction equipment will remain at the site for possible future use, per CTS. They added that more disaster prevention measures will be carried out before the flood season to further protect downstream communities.

A research team from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University has also entered nearby collapse zones to carry out geological surveys and build 3D models. The agency said the data will be used to study slope stability and assess long-term disaster risks.