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
Panjiakou Dam seen on a small island off the reservoir's edge at , particularly during droughts when the reservoir holds less water. The scenery around the reservoir is a popular tourist destination and with the surrounding terrain, it is often called "Qianxi Little Three Gorges". The Panjiakou Dam is a tall and concrete gravity dam. The dam's reservoir has a capacity of and surface area of . Of the reservoir's capacity, is active (or "useful") for power generation and water supply. The dam sits at the head of a catchment area which constitutes 75 percent of the Luan River basin. The dam's