But with rapid development in Taipei and Taoyuan counties, the area of farmland relying on the Shihmen Reservoir for irrigation water has dwindled, while the human population in these areas which relies on public water supplies has grown from 150,000 to almost two million. Yet the reservoir's primary role has never been clearly defined.
但隨著台北縣、桃園發展日愈蓬勃，依賴石門水庫灌溉的農田日減，公共用水人數陸續擴增到將近兩百萬，水庫角色卻一直無法被明確定位。