On July 8, for the first time since 1961, when it was built, the Xin'anjiang Reservoir opened all nine floodgates to discharge water into Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang Province. Water flow rates are estimated to rise to 8,000 cubic meters per second. Authorities claimed the main reason for the discharge was heavy rains and floods which caused Qiandao Lake to rise rapidly and exceed the flood limit.