"Without pollutants, the lake restores its beauty," said a swimming lover surnamed Wang, who often swam in the lake located in the Nantong National High-tech Industrial Development Zone.

The clean river was back 

A few days ago, some swimmers complained to the environmental department of the zone that the lake, a man-made one used for swimming training, was polluted. The department wasted no time investigating the cause.

There appeared to be no nearby pollution sources, neither industrial facilities nor residential areas. Yet the investigators noticed that the liquid water spreading over the concrete ground in front of a construction site appeared just the same color as the polluted water. Asked by the investigator if he knew something about the pollution, the contractor admitted that the water used for concrete protection was flushed by the rain into the lake.

Having found out the pollution source, the department officials proposed that the factory contractor buy some quicklime and pour it into the lake to eliminate the impurities with the help of the swim lovers.

Now the lake looks clean and beautiful just as before, something the swimmers are so happy to see.

Chicken coop was moved without damaging the community

Someone reported to the villagers committee of Zhengchang village that he could not tolerate the bad smell from the chicken coop, which belonged to another villager, just in front of his house. 

To solve this problem, an environmental department official and a village cadre visited the chicken coop owner and talked to him into relocating the coop. 

Villagers in this village are allowed to raise domestic fowl, such as chicken and ducks. This custom should not be broken only because of the need to keep a sanitary look in the village. 

Relocating the coop was a friendly way to strengthen a sense of community and make the village a better home for everyone.

A polluting factory was shut down but the owner was refunded

An environmental inspector of the zone discovered a big cotton processing mill discharging waste water into the river. 

The couple who ran the mill agreed to close their business for violating relevant regulations. But they had the concern that having this mill shut down would make their life more difficult since they, both migrant workers, had to pay for their child's college education. They hoped that they could have a portion of their rent back. 

Good news is that the understanding landowner consented to their request and refunded 30,000 yuan ($4293.43), a half-year rent, to the couple.

This is a good example of how the government balances environmental protection and promotion of people's wellbeing.