The Regulations on the Management of Groundwater Resources in the Shiyang River Basin of Gansu Province were promulgated on January 6, 2014, by Decree No. 109 of the People's Government of Gansu Province. This version incorporates amendments made in accordance with the Decision of the Gansu Provincial People's Government on Amending the Regulations on the Management of Groundwater Resources in the Shiyang River Basin, dated August 15, 2026.

The Provincial People's Government has decided to modify these Regulations as follows: First, delete the first paragraph of Article 13. Second, delete Article 39. Third, change Article 41 to Article 39, which now reads: "Staff members of the basin management institution and the water administrative departments of the cities and counties (districts) who abuse their power, neglect their duties, or engage in malpractices for personal gain in the management of groundwater resources shall be given administrative sanctions in accordance with the law; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law." Additionally, the order of the articles has been adjusted accordingly. This Decision takes effect on the date of its promulgation. The Regulations have been revised accordingly and are hereby re-promulgated.

Chapter 1: General Provisions

Article 1: This Regulation is formulated in accordance with the Water Law of the People's Republic of China, the Regulations on Water Intake Permits and Collection of Water Resource Fees, the Regulations on Water Resources Management of the Shiyang River Basin in Gansu Province, and other relevant laws and regulations, in light of the actual conditions of the basin. The aim is to strengthen the management of groundwater resources in the Shiyang River Basin, protect the ecological environment, scientifically utilize and effectively conserve groundwater resources, and consolidate the achievements of basin management.

Article 2: These Regulations apply to the development, utilization, conservation, and protection of groundwater resources within the Shiyang River Basin.

Article 3: The management of groundwater resources in the basin shall adhere to the principles of prioritizing protection, rational development, scientific allocation, and balancing extraction and recharge. Efforts shall be made to reduce agricultural water use, conserve domestic water, increase ecological water use, and ensure industrial water supply, thereby promoting the construction of an ecological safety barrier for inland rivers.

Article 4: The Shiyang River Basin Management Committee shall exercise unified management over groundwater resources within the basin. The Shiyang River Basin management institution under the Provincial Department of Water Resources is responsible for the specific work of unified groundwater resource management. The water administrative departments of the cities and counties (districts) within the basin shall perform their respective duties in groundwater resource management within their administrative areas.

Article 5: The strictest water resources management system shall be implemented within the basin. Relevant plans within the basin must be compatible with the carrying capacity of groundwater resources. The development and utilization of groundwater shall be strictly controlled, and illegal extraction of groundwater is prohibited.

Article 6: People's governments at all levels within the basin shall take effective measures to conserve and protect groundwater resources and prevent groundwater pollution.

Article 7: For any project involving the extraction of groundwater, the project approval authority shall not approve or authorize the project if the applicant has not obtained approval for a water intake permit.

Article 8: All units and individuals within the basin have the duty to protect groundwater resources and have the right to supervise and report acts of illegally exploiting or damaging groundwater resources. When the basin management institution and the water administrative departments of cities and counties (districts) investigate and handle illegal acts in accordance with the law, relevant departments shall cooperate.

Chapter 2: Development and Utilization

Article 9: The development and utilization of groundwater within the basin must strictly implement the key management plan for the Shiyang River Basin, gradually reduce groundwater extraction, and encourage the use of surface water to replace part of the groundwater supply. The development and utilization of groundwater resources within the basin should support economic and social development as well as the construction of ecological civilization.

Article 10: When constructing new construction projects or resettling relocated residents, people's governments at all levels within the basin shall conduct scientific feasibility studies and rationally plan their location within areas where surface water or groundwater supply conditions already exist.

Article 11: A principle of combining total quantity control with annual water use plan management shall be implemented. The basin management institution shall, based on the water quantity control indicators approved by the Provincial People's Government, supervise the implementation of total water use and reduction targets in the cities and counties (districts). The people's governments of cities and counties (districts) within the basin shall formulate water allocation plans and groundwater extraction reduction plans for their respective areas and report them to the basin management institution for filing. Any adjustment to total water use under special circumstances requires the consent and organizational review of the basin management institution, verification by the provincial water administrative department, and final approval from the Provincial People's Government.

Article 12: The basin management institution shall guide the people's governments of cities and counties (districts) within the basin in scientifically formulating water use quotas, reasonably determining water use proportions for different industries, improving the water rights transfer system, and accelerating the development of the water rights market. The adoption of advanced water-saving technologies and water rights exchanges to resolve water use conflicts is encouraged.

Article 13: Within zones where groundwater extraction is prohibited, drilling of new mechanical wells is forbidden, and the renovation of old wells is strictly controlled, except for mechanical wells used for drinking water for humans and livestock or for ecological water use.

Article 14: For the purposes of these Regulations, "renovation of an old well" refers to drilling a new mechanical well within a radius of 60 meters from the original well location when the original intake well can no longer be used due to drying up, excessively low yield, or well wall collapse. During the drilling operation for renovating an old well, the old well shall be backfilled in advance. If a drinking water well for humans and livestock cannot be backfilled in advance due to renovation due to insufficient water yield, approval from the basin management institution is required. However, the old well shall be backfilled after the replacement well is operational.

Article 15: The basin management institution shall strengthen groundwater monitoring. The annual completion status of groundwater extraction and reduction in the cities and counties (districts) shall be confirmed by the provincial water administrative department.

Article 16: Groundwater intake facilities within the basin shall be equipped with intelligent metering devices, and their normal operation shall be ensured.

Article 17: Within the basin, it is prohibited to add new groundwater extraction for high water-consuming industries such as thermal power generation and landscape projects. It is also prohibited to extract groundwater for water source heat pump or cooling projects.

Chapter 3: Water Intake Permits

Article 18: For groundwater extraction within the Shiyang River Basin, an application for a groundwater intake permit shall be made. Units or individuals applying to drill a new mechanical well shall submit an application for a water intake permit to the county (district) water administrative department where they are located. After review by the municipal water administrative department, the application shall be submitted to the basin management institution for approval. For applications for renovation of old wells, the county (district) water administrative department may directly submit them to the basin management institution for approval and report the matter to the municipal water administrative department for filing.

Article 19: Regional restrictions on groundwater extraction approvals apply within the basin. For counties (districts) where total extraction is close to the total control target, approval of new extraction in that area shall be restricted; where total extraction reaches or exceeds the total water use limit, no new extraction shall be permitted.

Article 20: Groundwater level control management shall be implemented. Taking the county (district) as a unit, if the groundwater level in a certain area drops by more than 1 meter annually and continues to decline for more than 3 years, new extraction in that area shall be suspended, and the renovation of old wells shall be strictly controlled.

Article 21: New extraction shall be subject to control management based on mechanical well quotas. Based on the number of mechanical wells verified by the basin management institution, counties (districts) shall not increase their mechanical well quantity quotas. Where new extraction is eligible, the quota should be obtained by closing existing mechanical wells.

Article 22: Applications for drilling new mechanical wells may be approved under any of the following circumstances: (1) Where a project is already included in the rural drinking water project plan, surface water cannot solve the water supply, and domestic water for humans and livestock is to be centrally resolved on a village-wide or multi-village basis; (2) For new rural demonstration sites or important resettlement sites for relocated residents, where the concentrated resident population exceeds 200 people and no other water supply conditions exist for domestic water; (3) For large-scale facility-based livestock farming areas (farms), where the building area of pens exceeds 10,000 square meters, the main project has been completed, and there are no surrounding water supply conditions for domestic water; (4) For major livelihood projects, ecological projects, or new industries approved by the municipal level or above people's governments, which are encouraged by the state, or for large-scale industrial projects that meet the requirements of the basin's industrial structure adjustment and circular economy development, where no other water supply conditions exist; (5) For emergency drinking water for humans and livestock during major natural disasters; (6) Other special circumstances where drilling a new mechanical well is indeed necessary. The water volume for items (3) and (4) of the preceding paragraph shall be resolved through water rights exchange within the county's (district's) total water volume.

Article 23: For construction projects requiring a water intake application, if the annual groundwater extraction exceeds 100,000 cubic meters, the applicant shall commission a qualified unit to prepare a water resources demonstration report. For construction projects with an annual groundwater extraction of less than 100,000 cubic meters and having a relatively small impact on the surrounding environment, the applicant shall fill out a water resources demonstration form for the construction project. The water resources demonstration report (form) shall be reviewed by the basin management institution.

Article 24: The permitted extraction volume for a newly drilled mechanical well shall be strictly controlled within the county's (district's) total water use, based on the water volume determined in the water resources demonstration report (form). For counties (districts) where the total control target has already been reached, new extraction shall be offset by closing existing mechanical wells and exchanging water rights.

Article 25: An application for a water intake permit shall submit the following materials: (1) a water intake permit application form; (2) the applicant's legal identity certification documents; (3) a site survey report provided by the county (district) water administrative department; (4) the water resources demonstration report (form) for the water intake project; (5) other materials required by the basin management institution. For applications for renovation of old wells, the applicant shall submit a copy of the original water intake permit and the materials specified in items (1) through (3) of the preceding paragraph.

Article 26: Upon receiving an application for a new mechanical well or renovation of an old well beyond a 60-meter radius, the county (district) water administrative department shall report it to the municipal water administrative department within 10 days. The municipal water administrative department shall review it within 5 days and report it to the basin management institution. The basin management institution shall examine the application materials within 5 days; if qualified, it shall accept the application and make a decision on approval or disapproval within 20 days. For renovations at the original site, the county (district) water administrative department shall report within 5 days, and the basin management institution shall approve within 10 days. Applications not meeting the filing requirements or with incomplete materials shall not be accepted, and this shall be notified in writing to the municipal and county (district) water administrative departments, which will promptly inform the applicant.

Article 27: The basin management institution shall, jointly with the water administrative departments of cities and counties (districts), conduct a census and registration of existing small-scale self-provided water source wells, verify their water volumes, and manage them strictly. Drilling new small-scale self-provided water source wells is prohibited. For the purposes of these Regulations, a "small-scale self-provided water source well" refers to an intake mechanical well with an inner pipe diameter not exceeding 20 centimeters.

Article 28: An applicant shall commence construction within 6 months of receiving the approval document for the water intake permit. If construction is not commenced within this period, a new approval process is required. Before drilling, the well-drilling construction unit must register with the basin management institution.

Article 29: Within 15 days after the completion of a newly drilled mechanical well, the applicant shall submit an acceptance application to the county (district) water administrative department, and the basin management institution shall organize an acceptance inspection within 10 days. After passing the inspection, the basin management institution shall issue a water intake permit based on the approved water volume. Acceptance inspections for renovations of old wells shall be conducted centrally and periodically by the basin management institution, using the county (district) as a unit.

Article 30: The contents of acceptance inspection for newly drilled mechanical wells and renovations of old wells shall include: (1) the installation of metering facilities; (2) whether the well has been drilled at the approved location; (3) whether the well quality and water yield meet the requirements; (4) whether the water use purpose is consistent with the approved documents.

Article 31: If the ownership of a mechanical well changes, the new owner shall promptly apply to the approval authority for registration of the change. When applying for the change, the parties shall submit their identification, a change agreement, or supporting documents.

Article 32: Collection of water resource fees and the fee standards shall be implemented in accordance with the relevant provisions of the state and this Province.

Chapter 4: Conservation and Protection

Article 33: People's governments at all levels within the basin shall formulate groundwater conservation and protection plans for their respective regions and annual implementation plans, and organize their implementation. The use of new technologies, techniques, and equipment for groundwater conservation shall be promoted, and the recycling of groundwater shall be encouraged.

Article 34: Under any of the following circumstances, water intake facilities shall be closed and groundwater extraction shall be prohibited. If preservation is genuinely necessary, approval from the basin management institution shall be obtained after consent from the relevant city or county (district) people's government: (1) where self-provided water source wells take water within areas covered by the public water supply pipeline network; (2) where the groundwater is severely polluted; (3) where geological and hydrological conditions are unsuitable for groundwater extraction; (4) other circumstances stipulated by laws and regulations prohibiting groundwater extraction.

Article 35: Mechanical wells in an area shall be closed due to land acquisition or demolition (relocation) for major projects within the basin. If retention is necessary under special circumstances, consent from the basin management institution is required. The county (district) water administrative department shall, within 30 days, report the closed mechanical wells to the basin management institution for registration and filing, cancel the water intake permits, and ensure they cannot be reactivated. The mechanical well quota and water rights may be used within 2 years to offset qualifying new extraction. If not registered and filed, the mechanical well quota shall be void.

Article 36: Strengthen water metering management for high water-consuming industries. For enterprises with a single well extracting more than 200,000 cubic meters annually or with total annual extraction exceeding 500,000 cubic meters, real-time remote monitoring and management connected to the basin management institution and the cities and counties (districts) shall be gradually implemented.

Article 37: Protective measures shall be taken during activities such as geological surveys, mining, and underground construction. For abandoned, idle, or unfinished intake wells, the well owner shall take effective measures such as sealing and backfilling to prevent groundwater pollution and safety accidents. It is prohibited to use seepage wells (pits), ditches, or ponds without anti-leakage facilities to discharge sewage or toxic and hazardous substances.

Article 38: The basin management institution shall uniformly plan and reasonably arrange for a certain number of monitoring wells to monitor groundwater levels and quality. The people's governments of cities and counties (districts) shall conduct regular monitoring of the water quality of drinking water source areas.

Chapter 5: Legal Liability

Article 39: Staff members of the basin management institution and the water administrative departments of the cities and counties (districts) who abuse their power, neglect their duties, or engage in malpractices for personal gain in the management of groundwater resources shall be given administrative sanctions in accordance with the law; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.

Article 40: For other violations of these Regulations, where laws and regulations already stipulate penalties, those provisions shall apply.

Chapter 6: Supplementary Provisions

Article 41: These Regulations shall take effect on March 1, 2014.