Three Gorges Dam of the river downstream, and provides fresh water for agricultural and industrial usage. It also improves shipping conditions. The water level upstream drops from 175 m to 145 m, preparing for the rainy season. The water also powers the Gezhouba Dam downstream. Since the filling of the reservoir in 2003, the Three Gorges Dam has supplied an extra 11 cubic kilometres of fresh water to downstream cities and farms during the dry season. During the 2010 South China floods in July, inflows at the Three Gorges Dam reached a peak of , exceeding the peak during the 1998 Yangtze River
Three Gorges ladder of the Chinese mainland—which form the Qutang Gorge (), the Wu Gorge (), and the Xiling Gorge () along the Yangtze River, which is where this area gets its name. The Three Gorges span from the western, upriver, cities of Fengjie and Yichang, in Chongqing Municipality, to the east, downstream, to Hubei province. The Three Gorges Reservoir Region is approximately in length, while the Three Gorges themselves occupy approximately within this region. The Three Gorges region has attracted global attention due to the Three Gorges Dam, which is changing the culture and environment of the region. Although it is