In a world defined by the climate crisis and growing competition for water resources, the Tongchuan Potou Water Plant Project emerges as a bold response to an unavoidable global challenge. More than 3 billion people live today under severe water stress, and China, one of the countries with the greatest disparity between availability and demand, faces a turning point that demands structural solutions. In this context, the Potou project does not merely supply water; it redefines how an entire region manages its most valuable resource. Its creation symbolizes the transition from scarcity to resilience, from consumption to measurable water benefit.
With an investment of 358.45 million yuan, this plant represents next-generation infrastructure designed to treat 25,000 m³ of water per day, equivalent to the daily consumption of over 100,000 households, with the possibility of doubling that capacity in later phases. More than a hydraulic work, it is a tool for urban and industrial regeneration. The project is part of the Shaanxi Water Infrastructure Plan, a provincial strategy aimed at modernizing urban supply systems, reducing aquifer overexploitation, and ensuring a sustainable balance among industry, cities, and the environment. Its purpose lies in transforming water vulnerability into economic opportunity, proving that water can become the axis of a new circular and climate-smart economy.
Located in the Tongchuan New Materials Industrial Park, the complex supplies both the local population and key industrial sectors such as solar energy and semiconductors, contributing to the water security of more than 200,000 people and high-tech companies. The main water source comes from the Longtan and Taoqupo reservoirs, from which the resource is conveyed through a combination of gravity flow and pressurized pumping systems, optimizing energy consumption and reducing losses.
The technical process includes mechanical flocculation, inclined-tube sedimentation, V-type filtration, ozonation, activated carbon adsorption, and final disinfection, ensuring that the effluent fully meets the National Standard GB5749-2022 for Drinking Water. The operation is supported by a SCADA automation system that allows remote control and traceability of quality, flow, and energy efficiency parameters.
Construction of the plant increased urban supply capacity from 2,400 to 25,000 m³/day, ensuring continuous water availability for critical industries such as Longi Green Energy and the entire urban population in the area, achieving 100% potable water coverage. This advance represents a qualitative leap in public health, productivity, and sustainability.
Before the intervention, the city of Tongchuan suffered severe water stress caused by aquifer overexploitation and contamination of natural sources. The Potou Water Plant Project was conceived as a technical and strategic response to that crisis: a facility capable of replacing groundwater extractions with treated surface water using cutting-edge technology. Its system combines flocculation, sedimentation, advanced filtration, ozonation, activated carbon, and ultraviolet disinfection, enabling the treatment of 25,000 m³ of water per day in compliance with National Standard GB5749-2022. This volume equals the daily supply for over one hundred thousand people and marks a substantial improvement compared to the historical performance of the local network.
The project’s impact is immediate and multifaceted. Environmentally, it reduces emissions from deep pumping and regenerates the water balance of the basin by substituting groundwater with surface supply. Operationally, it enhances distribution efficiency and water quality for industrial and domestic use. Socially and economically, it ensures water security for more than 200,000 residents and multiple industrial parks, strengthening regional competitiveness.
The project was promoted by the Tongchuan Government with support from state-owned water infrastructure companies and specialized technology providers, integrating a collaborative model where public investment, professional management, and technical verification ensure measurable results. This structure reinforces its alignment with Water Positive principles, meeting the criteria of additionality, traceability, and intentionality, ensuring every cubic meter treated represents a real benefit to the watershed.
Its model is fully replicable: it can be implemented in other mid-sized water-stressed cities through modular adaptation of capacity and sources. Acting now is essential, as the Weihe River region presents stress levels above 45%, making projects like Potou laboratories for climate resilience. For companies with ESG commitments or water neutrality goals, investing or partnering in such initiatives means not only ensuring regulatory and reputational compliance but also leading the transition toward a regenerative and measurable water economy.
The implementation of the Potou project was carried out sequentially, with an integrated vision of water security. In the diagnosis and design phase, multiple technological alternatives, such as ultrafiltration membranes, MBR systems, and traditional flocculation, were evaluated, ultimately selecting a hybrid system of advanced gray infrastructure with digital control for its balance between efficiency, operational cost, and ease of maintenance. This approach combines flocculation, sedimentation, V-type filtration, ozonation, activated carbon, and UV disinfection, creating a robust treatment process adaptable to seasonal variations in flow and quality. Its operational capacity reaches 25,000 m³/day, directly benefiting more than 200,000 people and the industrial network of the Tongchuan New Materials Park.
During the construction and commissioning phase, redundant systems were prioritized for pumps, valves, and pipelines, guaranteeing operational continuity in case of technological failures. A next-generation SCADA system with multiparameter sensors was integrated to monitor turbidity, conductivity, residual chlorine, and flow in real time, ensuring full data traceability and remote control of the process. Contingency plans were designed for hydrological variability and emergency protocols for accidental contamination or supply interruption.
In the operational phase, risks are addressed through preventive management schemes. The main risks identified, equipment failures, fluctuations in raw water quality, extreme weather events, and social acceptance, are mitigated through predictive maintenance programs, continuous technical training, and community engagement. Reserve tanks and diversion systems allow supply continuity even under critical conditions, while shared governance among local authorities, operators, and citizen committees strengthens institutional resilience and public trust.
Technically, the adopted solution resolves structural problems of pollution, low efficiency, and aquifer overexploitation, adapted to the hydrological context of the Weihe River basin. The selection was based on efficiency (over 95% yield), controlled costs, replicability, and compliance with national regulations. The model aligns with Water Positive principles by replacing groundwater extraction with treated surface sources and quantifying benefits under the VWBA 2.0 framework, ensuring additionality, traceability, and intentionality for every cubic meter produced.
The expected benefits are measurable and quantifiable: 25,000 m³ of water treated daily, 15% reduction in energy consumption, decreased emissions from deep pumping, and improved distributed water quality with average reductions of 90% in BOD and TSS. Environmentally, the plant contributes to aquatic ecosystem regeneration by relieving aquifer pressure and reducing pollutant loads. Socially, it strengthens public health, creates over 120 direct jobs, and enhances regional productivity. Economically, it reduces municipal operating costs, increases drought resilience, and bolsters the ESG reputation of participating companies.
The Potou model is scalable to other semi-arid regions of northwest China and replicable in industrial parks with high water demand. Its competitiveness lies in optimized operating costs and a benefit-to-cost ratio above 2.5, validated by its energy performance and digital traceability. Future expansion can be supported through public-private partnerships and international cooperation within water neutrality and Water Positive programs. Thus, Potou stands as a replicable benchmark for intelligent water management and climate resilience.
The Potou project was implemented under a phased and adaptive scheme, ensuring technical control and operational flexibility at each stage. The approach was structured in sequential phases corresponding to VWBA steps 4–6, ensuring traceability, validation, and continuous improvement of results.
Phase 1: Diagnosis and Design. This stage involved hydrogeological analysis of the basin and modeling of water demand in Tongchuan’s industrial corridor. The hydrological and water quality baseline was established, recording pre-project BOD (18 mg/L), TSS (45 mg/L), and average turbidity (28 NTU). Technological alternatives, MBR, ultrafiltration membranes, and conventional treatment, were evaluated, ultimately selecting a hybrid advanced gray infrastructure system with SCADA digital control for its balance between efficiency, resilience, and cost. This six-month phase concluded with validation of the executive design and definition of initial KPIs.
Phase 2: Construction and Installation. Over nine months, civil works were completed, including installation of flocculation, V-type sedimentation, filtration, ozonation, activated carbon, and UV disinfection units. Electromagnetic flowmeters, multiparameter probes (pH, conductivity, chlorine, turbidity), and IoT sensors were integrated into the SCADA system, allowing real-time operational monitoring and quality control. The nominal capacity of 25,000 m³/day was validated through pressure tests, equipment calibration, and technical audits.
Phase 3: Commissioning and Operational Validation. During the first four months of operation, performance tests and comparative calibration between baseline and project scenarios were conducted. KPIs include treated flow, filtration efficiency, energy consumption per m³, and effluent quality. Measurements are continuous, with monthly reports and quarterly reviews by accredited laboratories. This process ensures that improvements, such as 90% reduction in BOD and TSS and 15% energy savings, are verifiable and traceable.
Phase 4: Continuous Operation and Maintenance. Under stable conditions, the system operates with hydraulic and electrical redundancy to prevent interruptions. Physical water traceability is ensured from intake at the Longtan and Taoqupo reservoirs to final distribution via flow sensors and digital georeferencing. The SCADA system issues automatic alerts for deviations and daily performance reports, while a centralized IoT dashboard allows remote access for operators and auditors. Governance is shared among the technical operator, Weihe River authority, and Tongchuan municipal agency under a shared responsibility framework for use of treated water.
Phase 5: External Verification and Continuous Improvement. Annual audits by independent entities validate compliance with VWBA indicators and data integrity. Results are compared to the baseline, ensuring additionality and traceability. Continuous improvement is driven by a data feedback system that adjusts operational parameters, optimizes energy consumption, and updates technological components every three years. Long-term benefits are sustained through preventive and predictive maintenance plans, staff training programs, and a technology renewal policy ensuring resilience to climate and hydrological variability scenarios.
The Shaanxi Tongchuan Potou Water Plant Project is an advanced water infrastructure intervention designed to transform urban and industrial supply through safe surface water treatment. Technically, it consists of a treatment plant employing flocculation, sedimentation, V-type filtration, ozonation, activated carbon, and UV disinfection, with an operational capacity of 25,000 m³/day. Its process is fully automated under a SCADA system with IoT sensors, ensuring continuous monitoring, digital traceability, and compliance with GB5749-2022 quality standards, as well as WHO recommendations, and integrating practices aligned with ISO 14046 and ISO 50001 for water and energy efficiency.
The relevance of this solution lies in addressing the structural water deficit of the Weihe River basin, where aquifer overexploitation and industrial pollution have jeopardized supply security. Before the project, the urban network depended on groundwater sources facing depletion and quality loss; after implementation, a volume equivalent to 9.1 million m³ per year of groundwater is replaced by treated surface water, reducing pressure on aquifers and restoring regional hydrological balance. Treated water quality shows a 90% reduction in BOD and TSS, complete elimination of coliforms, and significant improvement in turbidity and conductivity. These improvements directly impact public health, reducing sanitary risks and enhancing the quality of life for over 200,000 people.
Strategically and commercially, Potou is a key component of China’s Water Positive roadmap, aligned with VWBA 2.0, NPWI, and SBTi for Water frameworks. It delivers tangible benefits across ESG pillars: strengthens the social license to operate, improves institutional reputation, and boosts industrial sector competitiveness by ensuring sustainable supply. Additionally, its design lowers indirect emissions from deep pumping, around 1,200 tons of CO₂ per year, and promotes energy efficiency with 15% electricity savings.
Its modular model enables replicability in other basins and semi-arid regions with similar conditions, from northern China to arid areas of Central Asia, and can be adapted to industrial parks, urban systems, and community supply projects. Technical conditions, existing infrastructure, access to surface sources, and local management capacity, support scalability. Partnerships among local authorities, public operators, universities, and international technology partners guarantee sustainability and knowledge transfer.
The expected final impact translates into a structural improvement of the Weihe River basin’s water balance, strengthening resilience against climate change and reducing drought vulnerability. Socially, it drives local employment, public health, and institutional capacity, while economically demonstrating that water sustainability can become a competitiveness asset. For investors and clients, the Potou project represents the transition from an extractive model toward a regenerative water economy, where every cubic meter treated becomes a tangible symbol of environmental, social, and financial value.
