In a world marked by the climate crisis, desertification, and increasing pressure on water resources, every drop has become a strategic asset. More than 40% of the global population now lives in regions suffering from severe water stress, and China, especially its northern and northwestern zones, faces a structural imbalance between water supply and demand that threatens its water security and urban development. In this context, the Second Water Source Project in Suzhou District, Jiuquan City emerges as a visionary and transformative response. It is not merely about building infrastructure; it is about rebalancing the hydrological metabolism of a region that depends almost entirely on depleted groundwater, replacing it with a more sustainable surface water source that reduces aquifer pressure and enhances the city’s resilience.
With a total investment of 1,007,249,400 yuan, this flagship project integrates four technological pillars, intake, regulation, storage, and purification, to establish a dual-source urban water supply system that combines surface water as the main input and groundwater as a strategic backup. Its initial capacity of 100,000 cubic meters per day, expandable to 200,000, is equivalent to the average consumption of more than 500,000 inhabitants and represents a structural leap toward long-term water security. The project is located in Suzhou District, Gansu Province, within the Hexi Corridor, one of the driest and most strategic regions for the development of northwestern China.
Its strategic objective is to guarantee a safe, stable, and high-quality urban water supply while transforming an extractive model based on aquifer overexploitation into a regenerative and diversified water management system. Its rationale lies in breaking the historical dependence on groundwater and addressing the risks of depletion and subsidence that threaten the region. Local authorities, municipal water operators, specialized engineering firms, and environmental verification entities participate in its execution, forming a technical and governance alliance that exemplifies public-private cooperation toward a Water Positive future.
The project fully aligns with the principles of additionality, traceability, and intentionality defined by the VWBA 2.0 framework: each cubic meter of surface water introduced represents an equivalent volume of groundwater preserved, measurable and verifiable as a Volumetric Water Benefit (VWB). Beyond infrastructure, it symbolizes a structural transformation: converting water vulnerability into urban resilience and proving that desert cities can also become models of sustainability and hope.
Located in Suzhou District, Jiuquan City, the Second Water Source Project represents a technical and strategic solution that redefines water security in one of the most arid regions of northwestern China. Its purpose is to replace intensive groundwater extraction with a dual-source system combining surface water from the Hongshui River with regulated groundwater, ensuring supply resilience and ecological sustainability. Through a state-of-the-art infrastructure, integrating high-efficiency sedimentation, V-type filtration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration, the plant has the capacity to treat 100,000 cubic meters of water daily, equivalent to the consumption of half a million people.
This intervention provides immediate, measurable benefits: it reduces aquifer overexploitation, improves water quality, lowers the energy footprint, and ensures continuous supply even in extreme climatic scenarios. Key actors include the local government of Jiuquan as promoter, national water engineering and treatment companies as developers, and municipal operators who will manage the plant under energy-efficient, traceable, and environmentally compliant criteria.
The model is entirely replicable in other semi-arid regions where groundwater pressure compromises water security. Acting now is imperative: every year, groundwater levels in areas like Gansu drop between 0.5 and 1 meter, and reversing that trend requires sustainable transfer and treatment projects like this. Companies with ESG strategies and water neutrality commitments will find in this solution a tangible leadership opportunity, an investment that combines environmental, reputational, and economic returns, aligned with Water Positive principles and the VWBA 2.0 framework.
The implementation of the Second Water Source Project in Suzhou follows clearly defined stages that combine advanced engineering, environmental management, and participatory governance. During the design phase, a hybrid treatment scheme, a gray solution with digital integration, was selected to optimize the use of surface and groundwater. The technical process includes intake from the Hongshui River, physicochemical pretreatment, high-efficiency sedimentation, V-type filtration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration, ensuring a daily production of 100,000 m³ of potable water that exceeds national standards (GB5749-2022). Alternatives such as MBR and advanced ozonation were evaluated but discarded for their higher cost and energy use.
In the construction phase, low-impact materials and green engineering techniques are prioritized to reduce carbon footprints and ecological disturbances. SCADA sensors are implemented for real-time monitoring, along with redundant automatic valves and AI-based pressure control systems to prevent critical failures. In operation, predictive maintenance and remote control systems are used, with contingency plans for hydrological variations and emergency protocols for contamination events, saline intrusion, or temporary scarcity. Each treatment unit features energy backup and hydraulic redundancy to guarantee continuity.
The main risks identified include technological failures, fluctuations in raw water quality, and social acceptance of the new system. To mitigate these, shared governance plans with communities and authorities are established, semiannual environmental audits are performed, and public participation mechanisms are implemented. Climate resilience is ensured through seasonal storage and flexible regulation capacity that allows operation under various flow and temperature scenarios, reducing vulnerability to droughts or floods.
Quantifiable benefits include over 36.5 million m³ of treated water annually, an estimated reduction of 12,000 tons of CO₂ through energy optimization, and partial groundwater level recovery in critical zones. Environmentally, the project reduces aquifer pressure, improves the ecological quality of the Hongshui River, and decreases chemical use by 18%. Socially, it ensures safe water for more than half a million people, strengthens public health, and creates more than 500 direct and indirect jobs. Economically, it reduces groundwater pumping costs, improves operational resilience, and positions Jiuquan as a benchmark for ESG compliance within the Water Positive framework.
The project follows a phased and adaptive approach designed to ensure technical efficiency and long-term operational sustainability. It consists of five sequential stages covering diagnosis, design, installation, commissioning, validation, and continuous operation, each with defined responsibilities, deadlines, and control protocols.
In Phase 1 – Diagnosis and Design, hydrological, topographical, geotechnical, and water quality studies were conducted, establishing the baseline for flows, losses, and physicochemical parameters. Key performance indicators (KPIs) were defined, including hydraulic efficiency, turbidity, conductivity, and energy consumption. This six-month phase integrated SWMM and GIS modeling to determine the optimal intake point, pipeline alignments, and treatment train. A hybrid process of high-efficiency sedimentation, V-type filtration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration was chosen over MBR or ozone filtration due to lower cost and energy requirements.
Phase 2 – Installation and Construction, lasting 14 months, included civil and electromechanical works, installation of vitrified steel pipes, automatic valves, redundant pumping systems, and SCADA sensors connected to an IoT digital platform. Each component was tested under ISO 24512 and GB5749-2022 standards. Green engineering practices, dust control, waste management, and certified safety plans ensured minimal environmental disturbance.
During Phase 3 – Commissioning and Validation, calibration of ultrasonic flowmeters, multiparameter probes (pH, EC, SST, residual chlorine), and pressure gauges was conducted. Control systems were configured to trigger automatic alarms in case of operational deviations. Hydraulic and bacteriological tests were performed over three months under external supervision, confirming process stability and effluent quality.
Phase 4 – Continuous Operation and Maintenance implements predictive management with automated daily inspections and remote monitoring. Municipal operators manage the plant via an intelligent control center optimizing energy and chemical consumption. Physical traceability of water is ensured from intake to distribution through digital flowmeters and dynamic water balances. Preventive and corrective maintenance follows an annual plan with programmed membrane replacement, automated filter cleaning, and periodic sensor calibration.
Finally, Phase 5 – Monitoring, Verification, and Continuous Improvement completes the cycle with technical and environmental audits under VWBA and WQBA standards. Scenarios with and without the project are compared using historical data and hydrological modeling, measuring real efficiency, water quality, and volumetric benefits generated. Results are reported semiannually to water authorities and the CEO Water Mandate. The system integrates adaptive learning, with SCADA data feeding a continuous improvement platform that adjusts operational, energy, and performance parameters.
Overall, the project has a nominal capacity of 100,000 m³/day, efficiency above 95%, and climate resilience projected to operate stably through 2050. Governance involves the municipal operator, the Gansu Water Resources Department, the Shiyang River Basin Committee, external auditors, and local communities under clear agreements for use, maintenance, and distribution of regenerated water. This ensures that each phase contributes measurably, traceably, and verifiably to the Water Positive impact defined by VWBA 2.0.
The Second Water Source Project in Suzhou District, Jiuquan City constitutes a comprehensive intervention aimed at ensuring urban water security through resilient, technologically advanced infrastructure. The main intervention consists of partially replacing groundwater supply with treated surface water from the Hongshui River, via an intake, regulation, treatment, and distribution system incorporating high-efficiency sedimentation, V-type filtration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration processes. Technically, the plant has a nominal capacity of 100,000 m³/day, expandable to 200,000, and operates under a gray-digital hybrid scheme with continuous SCADA and IoT monitoring. It complies with national drinking water standards (GB5749-2022), WHO recommendations, and ISO 24512 and ISO 14046 standards on water management efficiency.
This solution addresses the structural problem of aquifer overexploitation, water deficit, and climate vulnerability affecting the Shiyang River basin and Suzhou District. Compared to the baseline, an urban area 100% dependent on groundwater, the project introduces a sustainable and controlled alternative that relieves aquifer pressure, stabilizes groundwater levels, and improves distributed water quality. In a context where water stress exceeds 60% of the annual balance, this approach offers a technically efficient, environmentally sustainable, and socially resilient solution.
Expected results include annual production of 36.5 million m³ of treated water, a 95% reduction in suspended solids and turbidity, and an 18% decrease in chemical use compared to conventional plants. Additionally, annual CO₂ emissions will drop by 12,000 tons through energy optimization and gradual abandonment of deep pumping. Environmental benefits include the recovery of wetlands and riparian areas, while social impacts ensure safe water supply for more than 500,000 people, improving public health, water security, and community cohesion.
From a strategic and commercial perspective, the project strengthens Jiuquan’s Water Positive roadmap by generating verifiable volumetric benefits under the VWBA 2.0 framework, meeting the principles of additionality, traceability, and intentionality. It offers tangible ESG benefits: reinforcing social license to operate, improving institutional reputation, meeting national environmental regulations, and establishing the municipality as a benchmark in resilient, low-carbon water infrastructure. Globally, it aligns with the 2030 Agenda, Science Based Targets for Water (SBTi-W), and the ESRS E3 framework for resource efficiency.
Its replicability is high, especially in semi-arid regions of China, Central Asia, or Latin America facing similar groundwater overexploitation and lack of alternative sources. Scalability depends on strong regulatory frameworks, public-private cooperation, and social acceptance. Partnerships among municipal operators, local governments, technology firms, and communities ensure system sustainability and replication.
The project’s ultimate impact transcends urban supply: it contributes to basin water balance by replacing groundwater withdrawals with sustainable surface flows, enhances resilience to climate variability, and strengthens community-based water management. It also generates green employment, promotes environmental education, and reinforces the perception that water security is a pillar of the regenerative economy. For investors and strategic partners, it represents an opportunity to participate in infrastructure that combines profitability, sustainability, and leadership in the transition toward a Water Positive future.
