New Matai'an Creek barrier lake empty, flow normal: Agency

Taipei, Oct. 24 (CNA) A small barrier lake that formed on Matai'an Creek earlier this week has drained away, with the waterway's flow returning to normal, according to the Hualien branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency on Friday.

An overflow observed the previous day likely caused continued erosion, leading to the barrier lake's disappearance, the branch office said.

The new barrier lake was seen forming Tuesday downstream, holding an estimated 600,000 cubic meters of water.

The new lake was far smaller than the main Matai'an Creek barrier lake about 800 meters upstream, whose overflow last month killed 19 people in Hualien.

The Hualien office said that it will continue to monitor the main barrier lake, despite the Central Emergency Operations Center lifting its red alert on Wednesday.

The main barrier lake currently covers 12.6 hectares and holds roughly 1.6 million cubic meters of water. Observations from Oct. 1 onward showed no significant change in the water level, with storage reduced to 1.7 percent of its pre-overflow capacity, the office said.

It added that water now flows steadily from the natural dam's outlet, with no obvious signs of risk of collapse.