Regulations on Water Supply
Order of the State Council of the People's Republic of China No. 831
February 11, 2026
The Regulations on Water Supply, which have been adopted at the 76th Executive Meeting of the State Council on December 31, 2025, are hereby promulgated and shall come into effect from June 1, 2026.
Li Qiang, Premier
Regulations on Water Supply
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 These Regulations are formulated with a view to promoting the high-quality development of the water supply sector, ensuring the safety of water supply, improving water supply services, and better meeting the needs of economic and social development and people's livelihood.
Article 2 These Regulations shall be applicable to water supply, the use of water supply, and relevant management activities.
For the purposes of these Regulations, the term "water supply" refers to the provision of water for domestic, production, and public service purposes through facilities for water intake, transmission, purification, and distribution, including urban water supply and rural large-scale water supply.
For the purposes of these Regulations, the term "rural large-scale water supply" refers to the provision of water to rural areas (including towns and villages) through centralized water supply projects with a designed water supply volume and population reaching a specified scale, or through urban water supply pipeline extension projects, excluding agricultural irrigation water supply.
Article 3 The development of the water supply sector shall implement the guidelines, principles, and policies issued by the Party and the State, adhere to a people-oriented approach and urban-rural integration, maintain its public welfare nature, combine the development of water sources with water conservation, continuously enhance the capacity for ensuring water supply safety, and promote the equality of water supply services.
Article 4 The State shall improve policy measures to support the development of the water supply sector.
The people's governments at or above the county level shall incorporate the development of the water supply sector into relevant plans for national economic and social development.
Article 5 The people's governments at or above the county level shall assume primary responsibility for ensuring water supply safety within their administrative regions, strengthen their organization and leadership in the water supply work, comprehensively study and collaboratively resolve major issues in the water supply work, and include the funds required for the water supply work into the budget at the corresponding level.
Article 6 The competent department of housing and urban-rural development under the State Council and the water administrative authority under the State Council shall be respectively responsible for guiding urban and rural water supply work nationwide. The competent departments of housing and urban-rural development and water administrative authorities under the people's governments of provinces and autonomous regions shall be respectively responsible for guiding urban and rural water supply work within their administrative regions.
The competent departments of housing and urban-rural development and water administrative authorities under the people's governments of municipalities directly under the central government, the people's governments at the districted-city level, and county-level people's governments shall be respectively responsible for managing urban and rural water supply work within their administrative regions.
The people's governments at or above the county level may designate a department to be uniformly responsible for guiding or managing water supply work.
The disease prevention and control departments of the people's governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for the supervision and administration of drinking water hygiene.
Ecology and environment, market regulation, and natural resources departments, as well as other relevant departments under the people's governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for relevant tasks related to water supply within their respective duties.
The departments specified in the first, second, and third paragraphs of this Article are collectively referred to as "water supply authorities".
Article 7 The State shall encourage and support the research and development, transformation of achievements, promotion and application of water supply-related science and technology, strengthen the training of water supply professionals, promote the advancement of water supply-related science and technology, and enhance the automation, digitalization, and intelligent development for the water supply work.
Article 8 Entities and individuals who have made outstanding achievements in the water supply work shall be rewarded in accordance with relevant national regulations.
Chapter II Water Supply Sources
Article 9 The people's governments at or above the county level shall, based on the economic and social development and water resources endowment of their respective regions, make reasonable arrangements and planning for water supply sources and strengthen the development of water supply sources.
The people's governments at or above the county level shall organize the formulation of relevant plans for the development of water supply sources as needed. Such plans shall be aligned with territorial spatial plans, and the reasonable demands for land and space use involved shall be incorporated into the information system for the implementation and supervision of territorial spatial plan for unified assurance.
Article 10 The development of water supply sources shall coordinate surface water and groundwater, local water and transferred water, and realize complementarity among multiple water sources. In the case of single-source water supply, emergency or backup water sources shall be developed in accordance with relevant national regulations; eligible regions may develop regional networked water supply.
Coastal water-scarce areas and islands are encouraged to promote desalinated seawater as a supplementary water source based on local conditions.
Article 11 Where transferred water is used as a drinking water source, the people's governments at or above the county level shall ensure timely switching between local and transferred water sources.
Management entities of water transfer projects shall strengthen the monitoring, inspection, patrol, maintenance, and upkeep of the facilities and equipment of water transfer projects and ensure their safe operation; where normal water transfer may be affected due to maintenance of facilities or an emergency, the management entities of water transfer projects shall promptly notify the relevant people's governments at or above the county level in the water receiving area based on the scope of the impact.
Article 12 The ecology and environment authorities, water administrative authorities, and other relevant departments under the people's governments at or above the county level shall lawfully carry out the standardized development of drinking water source areas, implement protection measures for drinking water source protection zones, establish a mechanism for the monitoring and early warning of drinking water source quality and a mechanism for information sharing, and ensure that the quality of drinking water sources meets relevant national standards.
The water administrative authorities under the people's governments at or above the county level shall coordinate the allocation of water quantity in drinking water source areas and strengthen the monitoring of hydrology and water resources in drinking water source areas.
The ecology and environment authorities under the people's governments at or above the county level shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, effectively conduct water environment monitoring in drinking water source areas, strengthen the supervision and management of ecological and environmental protection in drinking water source areas, investigate and assess the environmental conditions and pollution risks of drinking water source areas, identify potential pollution risk factors, and take corresponding risk prevention measures.
Management entities of water transfer projects shall take measures to ensure that the quality of transferred water meets relevant national standards.
Chapter III Water Supply Project Development
Article 13 The people's governments at or above the county level shall strengthen the overall planning for water supply project development to ensure the coordination between water supply project development and urban-rural development.
The people's governments at or above the county level shall upgrade and renovate water supply facilities that affect water quality, hinder water supply safety, or are aging and in disrepair.
In areas with underground utility tunnels, urban water supply pipelines shall be incorporated into the underground utility tunnels where conditions permit.
Article 14 Water supply project development shall comply with the provisions of relevant laws, regulations, and rules, as well as the requirements of relevant national standards.
The survey, design, construction, and supervision of water supply projects shall be entrusted to entities with corresponding qualifications.
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Order of the State Council of the People's Republic of China No. 831
February 11, 2026
The Regulations on Water Supply, which have been adopted at the 76th Executive Meeting of the State Council on December 31, 2025, are hereby promulgated and shall come into effect from June 1, 2026.
Li Qiang, Premier
Regulations on Water Supply
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 These Regulations are formulated with a view to promoting the high-quality development of the water supply sector, ensuring the safety of water supply, improving water supply services, and better meeting the needs of economic and social development and people's livelihood.
Article 2 These Regulations shall be applicable to water supply, the use of water supply, and relevant management activities.
For the purposes of these Regulations, the term "water supply" refers to the provision of water for domestic, production, and public service purposes through facilities for water intake, transmission, purification, and distribution, including urban water supply and rural large-scale water supply.
For the purposes of these Regulations, the term "rural large-scale water supply" refers to the provision of water to rural areas (including towns and villages) through centralized water supply projects with a designed water supply volume and population reaching a specified scale, or through urban water supply pipeline extension projects, excluding agricultural irrigation water supply.
Article 3 The development of the water supply sector shall implement the guidelines, principles, and policies issued by the Party and the State, adhere to a people-oriented approach and urban-rural integration, maintain its public welfare nature, combine the development of water sources with water conservation, continuously enhance the capacity for ensuring water supply safety, and promote the equality of water supply services.
Article 4 The State shall improve policy measures to support the development of the water supply sector.
The people's governments at or above the county level shall incorporate the development of the water supply sector into relevant plans for national economic and social development.
Article 5 The people's governments at or above the county level shall assume primary responsibility for ensuring water supply safety within their administrative regions, strengthen their organization and leadership in the water supply work, comprehensively study and collaboratively resolve major issues in the water supply work, and include the funds required for the water supply work into the budget at the corresponding level.
Article 6 The competent department of housing and urban-rural development under the State Council and the water administrative authority under the State Council shall be respectively responsible for guiding urban and rural water supply work nationwide. The competent departments of housing and urban-rural development and water administrative authorities under the people's governments of provinces and autonomous regions shall be respectively responsible for guiding urban and rural water supply work within their administrative regions.
The competent departments of housing and urban-rural development and water administrative authorities under the people's governments of municipalities directly under the central government, the people's governments at the districted-city level, and county-level people's governments shall be respectively responsible for managing urban and rural water supply work within their administrative regions.
The people's governments at or above the county level may designate a department to be uniformly responsible for guiding or managing water supply work.
The disease prevention and control departments of the people's governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for the supervision and administration of drinking water hygiene.
Ecology and environment, market regulation, and natural resources departments, as well as other relevant departments under the people's governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for relevant tasks related to water supply within their respective duties.
The departments specified in the first, second, and third paragraphs of this Article are collectively referred to as "water supply authorities".
Article 7 The State shall encourage and support the research and development, transformation of achievements, promotion and application of water supply-related science and technology, strengthen the training of water supply professionals, promote the advancement of water supply-related science and technology, and enhance the automation, digitalization, and intelligent development for the water supply work.
Article 8 Entities and individuals who have made outstanding achievements in the water supply work shall be rewarded in accordance with relevant national regulations.
Chapter II Water Supply Sources
Article 9 The people's governments at or above the county level shall, based on the economic and social development and water resources endowment of their respective regions, make reasonable arrangements and planning for water supply sources and strengthen the development of water supply sources.
The people's governments at or above the county level shall organize the formulation of relevant plans for the development of water supply sources as needed. Such plans shall be aligned with territorial spatial plans, and the reasonable demands for land and space use involved shall be incorporated into the information system for the implementation and supervision of territorial spatial plan for unified assurance.
Article 10 The development of water supply sources shall coordinate surface water and groundwater, local water and transferred water, and realize complementarity among multiple water sources. In the case of single-source water supply, emergency or backup water sources shall be developed in accordance with relevant national regulations; eligible regions may develop regional networked water supply.
Coastal water-scarce areas and islands are encouraged to promote desalinated seawater as a supplementary water source based on local conditions.
Article 11 Where transferred water is used as a drinking water source, the people's governments at or above the county level shall ensure timely switching between local and transferred water sources.
Management entities of water transfer projects shall strengthen the monitoring, inspection, patrol, maintenance, and upkeep of the facilities and equipment of water transfer projects and ensure their safe operation; where normal water transfer may be affected due to maintenance of facilities or an emergency, the management entities of water transfer projects shall promptly notify the relevant people's governments at or above the county level in the water receiving area based on the scope of the impact.
Article 12 The ecology and environment authorities, water administrative authorities, and other relevant departments under the people's governments at or above the county level shall lawfully carry out the standardized development of drinking water source areas, implement protection measures for drinking water source protection zones, establish a mechanism for the monitoring and early warning of drinking water source quality and a mechanism for information sharing, and ensure that the quality of drinking water sources meets relevant national standards.
The water administrative authorities under the people's governments at or above the county level shall coordinate the allocation of water quantity in drinking water source areas and strengthen the monitoring of hydrology and water resources in drinking water source areas.
The ecology and environment authorities under the people's governments at or above the county level shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, effectively conduct water environment monitoring in drinking water source areas, strengthen the supervision and management of ecological and environmental protection in drinking water source areas, investigate and assess the environmental conditions and pollution risks of drinking water source areas, identify potential pollution risk factors, and take corresponding risk prevention measures.
Management entities of water transfer projects shall take measures to ensure that the quality of transferred water meets relevant national standards.
Chapter III Water Supply Project Development
Article 13 The people's governments at or above the county level shall strengthen the overall planning for water supply project development to ensure the coordination between water supply project development and urban-rural development.
The people's governments at or above the county level shall upgrade and renovate water supply facilities that affect water quality, hinder water supply safety, or are aging and in disrepair.
In areas with underground utility tunnels, urban water supply pipelines shall be incorporated into the underground utility tunnels where conditions permit.
Article 14 Water supply project development shall comply with the provisions of relevant laws, regulations, and rules, as well as the requirements of relevant national standards.
The survey, design, construction, and supervision of water supply projects shall be entrusted to entities with corresponding qualifications.
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