Plover Cove Reservoir, Reservoir in Tai Po District, Hong Kong.

Plover Cove Reservoir is a freshwater lake in northeastern Hong Kong, formed by enclosing a sea inlet with a main dam about 2 km long and 28 m high, plus three smaller service dams. The dam crest runs between Tai Mei Tuk and Pak Sha Tau, and the pale green water is bordered by wooded hills.

Construction began in 1960 and transformed a salty bay into a freshwater lake within eight years by pumping out seawater. The project arose from the need to secure water supply for Hong Kong's rapidly growing population.

The reservoir takes its English name from Plover Cove, the bay it replaced. The Hakka villagers displaced by the flooding were resettled in 1966 at Sam Mun Tsai New Village on Yim Tin Tsai, where 36 fishing families received housing on land. The reservoir now holds about 12 species and over 200,000 freshwater fish, three-quarters of them bream introduced to control algae.

Access is through walking and cycling paths along the dam that offer wide views over the water and mountains. On windy days the dam crest can be exposed, so weatherproof clothing is advisable.

Engineers experimented with an entirely new method to replace saltwater with freshwater without letting the dams leak. Today freshwater fish swim in the same basin where marine creatures once lived.