Ministry of Water Resources and State Development Planning Commission, Administration of Water Resource Assessment in Construction Projects Measures

Promulgated: March 24 2002
Effective: May 1 2002
Interpreting authority: Ministry of Water Resources

Main contents: If a construction project (which may be a new construction project, renovation project or expansion project) involves direct withdrawal of water from rivers, lakes or groundwater sources and therefore requires a water withdrawal permit, the project owner shall engage a qualified water resources assessment work unit to carry out a construction project water resources assessment and prepare a report on the basis of that assessment (Articles 2 and 6). The assessment report shall provide, among other things, an assessment on the sources of water withdrawal, an assessment of the rationality of the withdrawal, an analysis of water discharge and its impact on water environment and an analysis of the impact of the withdrawal on other water users (Article 7). This report shall be submitted together with the application for water withdrawal permit. Without this report, the application will not be accepted (Article 8). The examination opinion of the water resources administration department or the drainage area administration department on the report as well as the examined report shall be submitted to the department in charge of development planning together with the feasibility study report of the construction project. Without such opinion and this report, the construction project will not be approved (Article 11). The report may be exempt if the amount of water to be required by the construction project is not significant and the water withdrawal will not have significant impact on the surrounding areas (Article 15).
Related legislation: Water Withdrawal Licensing System Implementing Measures and Water Resources Industry Policy