In a global context dominated by the climate crisis, growing water scarcity, and ecosystem degradation, the Phase III project of the Sichuan Meishan High-Tech Industrial Park Wastewater Treatment Plant emerges as a transformative response to an unavoidable challenge. More than 3 billion people live under water stress, and in China, the southwestern provinces face a structural deficit aggravated by accelerated urbanization and increasing industrial demand. The water market is characterized by rising costs of abstraction, treatment, and discharge, along with increasingly stringent regulations on effluent quality, making innovation in treatment and reuse a crucial competitive advantage.
In this context, the Meishan project is not merely an infrastructure development but a resilience and ecological transition strategy. Its strategic goal is twofold: to reduce pressure on receiving water bodies through advanced treatment of industrial and domestic effluents, and to create a circular water economy model within the technology park, capable of reusing up to 30% of the treated volume. With a capacity of 50,000 m³ per day, this plant represents a qualitative leap in integrated water management, able to meet the equivalent needs of more than 150,000 inhabitants.
Located in the heart of the Meishan High-Tech Industrial Park, Sichuan Province (30°03′ N, 103°50′ E), the project integrates advanced technologies, such as an enhanced AAO process, catalytic ozonation, and membrane ultrafiltration, that ensure high-purity effluent with discharge parameters below Class IA national limits. Its raison d’être stems from the urgency to restore the quality of the Liquan River, a vital tributary of the Minjiang-Tuojiang system, which supplies millions of people and supports critical agricultural and industrial activities in the region.
The actors involved include local environmental authorities, the Meishan water utility, specialized environmental technology providers, and external supervision and verification entities that ensure process traceability. Each stage of the project, from design to operation, aligns with the principles of the Water Positive framework and the VWBA 2.0 standard, ensuring additionality (new, real water benefits), traceability (digital monitoring of regenerated volumes), and intentionality (actions directed at relieving basin pressures). This methodological coherence makes Meishan Phase III a tangible example of regenerative infrastructure, where water ceases to be a waste and becomes measurable, verifiable natural capital aligned with a new water economy.
The project arises as a strategic opportunity to transform water management in the Meishan High-Tech Industrial Park, where the concentration of advanced manufacturing industries generates increasing volumes of wastewater with high organic and chemical loads. The proposed solution involves the construction of a third-phase wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 50,000 m³ per day, designed with cutting-edge technologies such as the enhanced AAO process, catalytic ozonation, and membrane ultrafiltration, achieving the highest effluent quality standards. This infrastructure not only treats the water but also recovers it for reuse within the industrial park, reducing freshwater extraction and strengthening regional water resilience.
The transformed volume will reach approximately 18 million cubic meters annually, equivalent to the domestic consumption of a medium-sized city. This tangible impact translates into immediate environmental benefits: over 90% reduction in organic load (COD), regeneration of more than 2 million m³ of water as a verifiable volumetric water benefit (VWB), reduced greenhouse gas emissions from lower abstraction and pumping, and replacement of traditional chemical inputs with cleaner processes. The plant will also reuse treated sludge for industrial or energy purposes, closing the resource recovery cycle.
This model is made possible through collaboration among local government, Meishan High-Tech Ecological Environment Construction Co., Ltd. (developer), China West China Engineering Design and Construction Co., Ltd. (designer and executor), and Haitian Water Group Co., Ltd. (technical operator). These actors ensure both technical robustness and impact traceability. Their participation demonstrates how public–private cooperation drives transformation toward a positive water economy.
The model is fully replicable, combining technological scalability, integration with industrial parks, and economic feasibility under increasingly strict regulatory frameworks. In the short term, the project will provide efficiency and discharge reduction; in the medium term, it will consolidate a circular water system within the park; and in the long term, it will contribute to the full restoration of the Liquan River basin. Acting now is essential, as projections show a more than 20% increase in industrial water demand by 2030, threatening resource security if reuse and regeneration solutions are not implemented.
Any company committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and ESG targets can lead this type of solution. Participating in projects like Meishan means gaining visibility, reputation, and alignment with the new water economy, while differentiating in global markets that demand environmental traceability and verifiable results. This project proves that sustainability is not a cost but a tangible, measurable competitive advantage.
Implementation will follow clearly defined phases ensuring technical precision, operational control, and long-term sustainability. In the design stage, hydraulic, topographic, and energy parameters were established to size the system, integrating CFD simulations and digital BIM modeling to forecast flows and optimize treatment unit layout. The construction phase covers sequential installation of pretreatment, biological treatment, and advanced polishing lines, ensuring operational redundancy through parallel systems and bypass valves allowing uninterrupted maintenance.
The technical solution combines biological and physicochemical processes in a hybrid architecture of gray and digital infrastructure. The treatment train uses fine screening and aerated grit chambers, followed by hydrolysis–acidification tanks and enhanced AAO systems with automated aeration control based on organic load. Subsequently, the effluent passes through catalytic ozonation, activated carbon filtration, and membrane ultrafiltration, achieving COD removal above 95% and near-total nutrient reduction. Compact MBR and artificial wetland alternatives were evaluated but discarded due to lower stability and scalability. The nominal capacity is 50,000 m³/day, benefiting more than 150,000 equivalent inhabitants.
Strategically, this technology addresses structural diffuse pollution and industrial discharge issues in the Liquan basin, guaranteeing significant contaminant reduction, recovery of usable flow, and protection of the receiving ecosystem. Selection was based on energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and alignment with VWBA 2.0, ensuring that each regenerated cubic meter is digitally traced to guarantee additionality and intentionality.
Quantifiable benefits include 18 million m³ of treated water annually, 2 million m³ of net replenishment to the basin, and a 30% reduction in energy consumption per treated volume. Environmentally, the plant will reduce CO₂ emissions by around 5,000 tons per year and improve water quality for irrigation and aquifer recharge. Socially, it will increase sanitary security, create local jobs, and strengthen the industrial zone’s environmental reputation. Economically, it will save discharge fees, enable access to green credits, and ensure compliance with international ESG certifications.
Main identified risks include technological failures, hydrological variability, potential leaks or power supply interruptions, and social resistance to new infrastructure. Mitigation measures include redundant pumping and power systems, contingency protocols for hydraulic overload, predictive maintenance plans, and a SCADA monitoring system with real-time alerts. An emergency retention basin, safety inspection procedures, and a local community communication plan ensure transparency and acceptance.
Long-term resilience is reinforced by modular design adaptable to climate change, expandability to 70,000 m³/day, automated quality control, and corrosion-resistant materials. Shared governance between operator, environmental authority, and community ensures social sustainability. This approach allows replication in other water-stressed regions, particularly industrial parks in southwest China and coastal corridors in Southeast Asia. Its competitive cost-benefit ratio, supported by water and energy savings and certified VWBs, positions it as an exportable technology within Water Positive standards.
Project implementation follows a phased scheme combining technical precision and coordinated governance. The first phase involves comprehensive diagnosis, consolidating data on flows, pollutant loads, and hydraulic capacity of the existing system, establishing hydrological and energy baselines through gauging campaigns and hydraulic modeling. The second phase encompasses executive design, with BIM integration and CFD simulations defining unit sizing, collector layout, and SCADA control systems.
The installation phase includes modular construction of pretreatment, biological treatment, and advanced polishing systems. A hybrid AAO–ozone–ultrafiltration configuration was chosen for its proven performance (>95% COD removal) and adaptability to load and flow variations. Equipment includes electromagnetic flowmeters, multiparameter probes (pH, turbidity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, ammonia), and IoT sensors connected to a continuous digital monitoring platform. The nominal capacity of 50,000 m³/day ensures operational efficiency above 90% year-round.
The commissioning phase spans 90 days, including hydraulic tests, sensor calibration, and validation of effluent parameters. Simultaneously, physical and digital traceability systems are implemented, recording each cubic meter treated from inflow to reuse, with automatic alarms for deviations in flow or quality. Traceability is ensured via SCADA, IoT databases, and certified external auditor reports, with validation protocols including random sampling and third-party document review.
During continuous operation, initially estimated at three years of monitoring, comparative analysis will be performed between with- and without-project scenarios, measuring key indicators: treated volume, energy per cubic meter, removal efficiency, and reuse ratio. Data will be reported quarterly, ensuring transparency and verification according to VWBA/WQBA guidelines.
Governance follows a tripartite model: Haitian Water Group manages operations and maintenance; the local environmental authority supervises quality and compliance; and an independent verifier certifies results and volumetric benefits. Preventive maintenance will follow semiannual mechanical inspections and instrument calibration, while corrective maintenance will be triggered by SCADA alerts. Annual performance reviews will optimize energy use in aeration and pumping.
The adopted approach enables continuous improvement based on data feedback. Each year, global efficiency, effluent quality, and energy performance will be evaluated, adjusting process parameters to maximize water and energy benefits. Thus, implementation is not a one-time intervention but an adaptive system capable of evolving with new hydrological, technological, or regulatory conditions, ensuring sustainability and full traceability throughout the project’s life cycle.
The Phase III Meishan project is an integrated intervention for the treatment and regeneration of industrial and domestic wastewater within the High-Tech Industrial Park, following the VWBA 2.0 framework and international sustainability standards. The main intervention is advanced effluent reuse through a 50,000 m³/day plant combining biological (enhanced AAO) and physicochemical (catalytic ozonation, activated carbon, and membrane ultrafiltration) processes. This system achieves Class IA-quality effluent under Chinese regulations, equivalent to EU Directive 91/271/EEC and WHO recommendations. The plant covers 57.7 mu and benefits over 150,000 equivalent inhabitants. The technical flow includes three stages: pretreatment (screening and grit removal), biological treatment (acidification, enhanced AAO), and advanced polishing (ozone, ultrafiltration, final disinfection), with digital SCADA control and IoT sensors recording flow, turbidity, pH, conductivity, and ammonia in real time.
Its relevance lies in addressing a structural problem: industrial pollutant overload and water stress in the Liquan River basin, which caused quality degradation and use conflicts. Before the project, park discharges exceeded limits, and reuse was below 5%. With this solution, the linear consumption–discharge model becomes a circular water cycle. The system saves 18 million m³/year through treatment and reuse, replenishes 2 million m³/year of clean water to the basin, equivalent to 25,000 people’s annual consumption, and reduces COD, NH₃–N, and TP concentrations by over 95%, ensuring a substantial improvement in river quality indices.
Additional benefits include 5,000 tons/year CO₂ reduction, sludge recovery for energy use, and habitat enhancement through ecological compensation wetlands. From a Water Positive perspective, the project represents a milestone by quantifying water benefits (VWB) with traceability and establishing a replicable regenerative infrastructure model. Commercially, it supports the park’s sustainability roadmap and strengthens its position before regulators, investors, and ESG-driven companies, improving its social license and reputation as a green hub.
The model is scalable to other water-stressed basins, especially industrial zones in southwest China and semi-arid regions of Asia. Its technical replicability relies on modular AAO–ozone–UF systems adaptable to different scales and loads, while social scalability rests on tripartite governance integrating authorities, operators, and communities. The infrastructure aligns with international programs such as Science Based Targets for Water and the Net Positive Water Impact initiative, ensuring consistency with SDGs and European ESRS E3 reporting standards.
The final impact on the basin translates into a net improvement of the hydrological balance, greater resilience to droughts and floods, and a direct contribution to climate adaptation. Socially, it promotes qualified local employment, enhances public health, and strengthens regional water security. For investors and strategic partners, this project embodies the transition toward a regenerative economy, where efficiency, circularity, and water traceability become high-value competitive and reputational assets.
