In a world where the climate crisis is redefining water security and accelerating the urgency of a transition toward sustainable systems, the Daqing Dongcheng Water Plant Renovation Project emerges as a transformative response to the global water challenge. More than 2.2 billion people still lack safe access to drinking water, and northern Chinese cities face increasing pressure from source overexploitation and aging water infrastructures. In this context, Daqing, a city with deep industrial roots, stands at the epicenter of a new water revolution: moving from a resource‑intensive supply model to a resilient, circular, and technologically advanced one.
The Daqing Dongcheng Water Plant, located at 8 Chengbei Street within the Daqing High‑Tech Zone, stands as the cornerstone of this transformation. Originally built in 1949 and operating for over seven decades, it supplies more than 500,000 inhabitants and an expanding industrial sector with a combined capacity of 275,000 tons per day. This renovation project, initiated in 2025, goes beyond replacing outdated equipment: it redefines the concept of water infrastructure by integrating operational intelligence, energy efficiency, and full traceability under the Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA 2.0) framework.
The strategic objective is clear: to convert a traditional plant into a Water Positive model capable of generating more hydrological value than it consumes. In a country where annual industrial water use exceeds 90 billion cubic meters, this transformation represents a qualitative leap toward a new water economy. Modernizing the Daqing Dongcheng plant ensures safe, stable drinking water for half a million people, reduces energy consumption per cubic meter treated by 12%, and recycles more than 6 million cubic meters of water annually, equivalent to the annual consumption of 24,000 households.
The project is led by Daqing’s public water management authorities, with participation from national technology providers and oversight by verification bodies ensuring traceability and the additionality of the hydrological benefit. Its implementation, under the VWBA principles, intentionality, traceability, and additionality, guarantees that each technical improvement translates into measurable benefits for the Nenjiang River Basin and regional water security.
This renovation not only ensures continuity of supply but marks the beginning of a new stage for Chinese urban infrastructure: an era where every liter treated ceases to be waste and becomes regenerative capital. Daqing demonstrates that innovation, when combined with environmental vision and responsible governance, can turn a treatment plant into an engine of resilience and shared prosperity.
Located at the heart of the Daqing High‑Tech Zone, the Dongcheng Water Plant now serves as a living laboratory of water innovation. Its renovation is not only a technical response to obsolescence and quality fluctuations but also a strategic commitment to a new way of producing water: cleaner, traceable, and more efficient. Through a comprehensive system redesign, the treatment units were replaced with advanced oxidation technology using ozone, bioactivated carbon, and chlorine dioxide disinfection, combined with smart automation and real‑time continuous monitoring. This modernization transforms 275,000 tons of raw water per day into safe drinking water, reducing energy demand by 12% and saving more than 6 million cubic meters annually through internal backwash water reuse.
The benefits are tangible and immediate: reduced chemical use, removal of micro‑pollutants, and improved operational stability against seasonal variations in the Nenjiang River. Environmentally, the project regenerates water resources and decreases pressure on the basin. Economically, it improves operational efficiency by 10%, increases service reliability, and strengthens Daqing’s reputation as a national leader in sustainable water management.
Behind this transformation stand Daqing’s water management authorities and an engineering consortium specializing in smart water infrastructure, supported by technological partners who ensure digital traceability and quality control under the VWBA 2.0 framework. This public‑private collaboration makes the project a replicable model adaptable to other Chinese cities with aging systems and high industrial demand, delivering measurable outcomes in efficiency, resilience, and regulatory compliance.
Action is not optional, it is urgent. Growing water scarcity and new environmental regulations are pushing companies to evolve toward Water Positive models. Corporations in the energy, manufacturing, and technology sectors that engage in such initiatives will not only meet ESG commitments and gain global visibility but also secure a competitive advantage by leading the transition toward a regenerative water economy. Daqing demonstrates that water innovation can be profitable, sustainable, and profoundly transformative.
The proposed solution comprehensively modernizes the Daqing Dongcheng Water Plant’s treatment train with a hybrid physico‑chemical and digital scheme designed to operate at 275,000 m³/day and stabilize water quality against seasonal variations in the Nenjiang River. The process combines optimized mechanical mixing and flocculation, high‑rate sedimentation with inclined plates and non‑metal chain scrapers, deep treatment with ozonation and bioactivated carbon (BAC) to remove dissolved organic matter and micro‑pollutants, and chlorine dioxide disinfection to minimize by‑products. The entire train is governed by SCADA integrating electromagnetic flow meters, multi‑parameter sensors (turbidity, pH, conductivity, ORP), and continuous data logging for traceability. The intervention is “grey + digital”: robust infrastructure with intelligent control enabling fine adjustment and anticipatory response.
Technology selection arose from a comparative evaluation against membrane alternatives (UF/NF) and granular carbon without ozone. In the local context, raw water with risk of algal blooms, turbidity peaks, and extreme winter temperatures, the O₃+BAC combination offers a better cost‑efficiency ratio, lower head loss, reduced fouling sensitivity, and 10% lower OPEX while maintaining high BOD/SST and trace compound removal rates. This configuration enables internal recycling of backwash water, with a net recovery of about 6 million m³/year, contributing to a Water Positive balance and fulfilling VWBA principles of additionality (new reused volume), traceability (online data and audits), and intentionality (benefit to a strategic city source).
Expected benefits are immediate and measurable: 12% reduction in specific energy per m³ treated through hydraulic optimization and ozone/aeration control; improved effluent quality with higher turbidity and BOD removal; reduced suspended solids in sludge lines due to better sedimentation efficiency; lower chemical dosing through real‑time control; and regeneration of volumes equivalent to the annual consumption of ~24,000 households through the internal reuse loop. Environmentally, the scheme cuts over 500 tCO₂e/year through lower power use and prevents unnecessary discharges, improving regional ecosystem health. Socially, it increases health security and service continuity for over 500,000 people; economically, it reduces OPEX by ~10%, enhances reliability, and enables verifiable ESG certifications/claims.
Key operational and environmental risks include critical equipment failures, power outages, turbidity spikes, algal events, social acceptance of tariff changes, and climate‑related hydrological variability. Mitigations include N+1 redundancy in pumping and dosing, dual disinfection lines with safety interlocks, power backup, on‑site QA/QC laboratory, and SCADA threshold alarms; emergency protocols for accidental contamination, saline intrusion/ionic variation, and temporary shortages; and shared governance between operator and authority with contingency plans and semiannual drills. Climate resilience is ensured through cold‑resistant durable materials, predictive control based on historical series, and adaptive flow management in coordination with the basin.
The model is replicable in cities with aging infrastructures and similar water stress: it requires stable regulation, data audit capacity, internal/external reuse agreements, and PPP schemes to accelerate CAPEX. Its competitiveness rests on lower specific energy, improved net VWB recovery, and digital traceability reducing reputational risks. Companies in energy, food, retail, and tech can lead or co‑finance this solution, capturing ESG value (compliance, visibility, differentiation) and operational resilience aligned with the 2030 Agenda, CEO Water Mandate, and SBTi for Water.
The implementation of the Daqing Dongcheng Water Plant Renovation Project follows a phased approach with four consecutive stages integrating advanced engineering, digital control, and continuous verification. The first phase corresponds to detailed diagnosis and design, including hydraulic studies, flow and water quality modeling, and the definition of technical reference parameters to establish the performance baseline. This stage spans the first 60 days and sets the foundation for comparison between with‑project and without‑project scenarios.
The second phase involves the installation and modernization of key equipment. Flocculation, sedimentation, ozonation, bioadsorption, and disinfection systems are replaced, incorporating hybrid physico‑chemical and digital technology with SCADA monitoring, IoT sensors, electromagnetic flow meters, and automated control of critical variables. Execution lasts 120 days and includes hydraulic and electrical testing, flow validation, and system calibration. The nominal performance reaches 275,000 m³/day with over 95% efficiency in turbidity and organic matter removal.
The third phase, commissioning and operational validation, involves water quality tests, technical audits, and on‑site operational adjustments. Over 45 days, key performance indicators (KPIs) are verified: treated flow, energy efficiency (kWh/m³), quality parameters (BOD, SST, residual chlorine, residual ozone), and process stability. Measurement frequency is daily for online sensors and weekly in laboratories, ensuring full physical and digital traceability of the treated resource.
The fourth phase consolidates continuous operation, governance, and ongoing improvement. Agreements are established between the water management authority and the technical operator, defining responsibilities in operation, preventive and corrective maintenance, and external verification. A digital traceability system based on SCADA and interoperable with the VWBA platform automatically records regenerated and saved volumes and their basin impacts. Automatic alarms notify any deviation from quality or efficiency limits, while third‑party audits certify the validity of the generated hydrological benefits.
For control and traceability, the system integrates real‑time monitoring from intake to distribution, ensuring complete physical traceability of water. Automatic reports update every 15 minutes, with centralized visualization and predictive maintenance alerts. Annual external verifications validate data integrity and ensure transparency of benefits.
Total implementation duration is 249 days, from April to December 2025. This phased scheme ensures supply continuity during works and facilitates the gradual adaptation of operational staff to the new technology. Continuous improvement protocols include technical training, periodic data feedback, semiannual calibrations, and KPI reviews, ensuring benefit permanence and operational resilience against climatic variability and future demand.
Each technical decision of the Daqing Dongcheng Water Plant Renovation Project aligns with the principles of the Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA 2.0) framework: additionality, traceability, and intentionality. Improvements, from energy optimization to backwash water reuse and operational control digitalization, guarantee additional, measurable, and verifiable hydrological benefits compared to the baseline. Traceability is ensured through real‑time monitoring, auditable data records, and interoperable reporting with regional platforms; intentionality is reflected in the strategic design of actions aimed at generating positive impacts on the Nenjiang Basin. This comprehensive linkage turns technical outcomes into quantifiable benefits: saving 6 million m³ of water per year, reducing energy consumption by 12%, achieving a net regeneration over 128% of extracted volume, and substantially improving effluent quality. Collectively, the plant stands as a Water Positive infrastructure, demonstrating how engineering, governance, and transparency translate into water resilience and sustainable value.
The Daqing Dongcheng Water Plant Renovation Project represents a strategic intervention combining technological modernization, operational efficiency, and hydrological restoration in a single system. The main intervention involves comprehensive modernization of the treatment process through a hybrid physico‑chemical and digital scheme integrating optimized mechanical flocculation, high‑rate sedimentation, advanced ozonation, bio‑adsorption with activated carbon, and chlorine dioxide disinfection. Governed by SCADA with real‑time IoT monitoring, the system controls turbidity, pH, conductivity, and flow, ensuring full traceability from intake to distribution. With a nominal capacity of 275,000 m³/day, the plant serves over 500,000 urban and industrial users. It complies with Chinese national standard GB/T 5749‑2022, WHO drinking water guidelines, and ISO 46001 efficiency and safety frameworks.
The solution’s relevance lies in addressing efficiency losses, equipment aging, and supply vulnerability to seasonal variations in the Nenjiang Basin. Before the project, the plant had high energy consumption and limited micro‑pollutant removal; after modernization, energy use per m³ treated dropped by 12% and effluent quality improved by 30%. This transition from a conventional to a Water Positive system turns infrastructure into a source of urban and environmental resilience. The chosen solution, selected over membrane alternatives, achieved lower OPEX, higher stability in cold climates, and the ability to handle high‑turbidity water without performance loss.
Measurable results include recovery and reuse of 6 million m³/year, equivalent to the annual consumption of 24,000 households, and elimination of more than 500 tCO₂e/year from improved energy efficiency. Water quality reaches Class I levels under national parameters, with substantial reductions in BOD, SST, nitrates, and trace compounds. Additional benefits include reduced chemical use, restored habitats around the reservoir, and improved public health.
Strategically, the project reinforces Daqing’s Water Positive roadmap, proving that infrastructure can generate more water value than it consumes. It delivers tangible ESG benefits: enhances institutional reputation, strengthens the social license to operate, and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals.
