China's Three Gorges Dam handles record flow

BEIJING – The operator of China's Three Gorges Dam says the world's largest hydropower project has withstood its biggest test, regulating a record amount of floodwater.

China Three Gorges Corp. said Thursday the dam on the Yangtze River operated normally on Tuesday night when 71,200 cubic meters (2.5 million cubic feet) of water per second flowed into its reservoir.

That was slightly above 70,000 cubic meters (2.47 million cubic feet) per second that hit the Yangtze in 1998. That was when some of China's worst floods killed 4,150 people, most along the Yangtze.

Officials say the dam is the best way to end centuries of flooding along the river. But it has been controversial because of geological and ecological concerns and the number of people relocated to make way for its reservoir.