Regulations of Shanghai Municipality on Water Conservation

(Adopted at the 24th Session of the Standing Committee of the 16th Shanghai Municipal People's Congress on September 25, 2025)

Chapter I  General Provisions

Article 1

With a view to promoting water conservation throughout society, improving the efficiency of water resource utilization, safeguarding water security, advancing ecological progress, and driving high-quality economic and social development, these Regulations are formulated in accordance with the Water Law of the People's Republic of China, the Water Conservation Regulations, and other relevant laws and administrative rules, and in the light of the actual circumstances of this Municipality.

Article 2

These Regulations apply to water conservation (hereinafter referred to as water conservation) and its supervision and management activities within the administrative region of this Municipality.

Article 3

This Municipality shall strictly practice water conservation, uphold and implement the principle of prioritizing water conservation, carry out the national water conservation action in depth, and fully build a water-conservation society.

All units and individuals shall perform the obligation to conserve water in accordance with the law.

Article 4

Water conservation in this Municipality shall be conducted pursuant to the principles of unified planning, comprehensive policy implementation, adaptation to local conditions, and categorized guidance. Efforts shall be intensified to conserve water throughout the entire process of water extraction, supply, utilization, and drainage, and a water conservation mechanism shall be established featuring government leadership, multi-stakeholder collaboration, market regulation, and public participation.

Article 5

The municipal and district people's governments shall be responsible for strengthening organizational leadership over water conservation work. They shall incorporate water conservation into relevant national economic and social development plans and annual plans, improve and promote the implementation of water conservation policies and supporting measures, establish and improve coordination mechanisms for water conservation, and research and resolve major issues in water conservation work.

Article 6

The municipal water affairs department shall be responsible for the unified management and supervision of water conservation work in this Municipality; district water affairs departments shall be responsible for the management and supervision of water conservation work within their respective administrative regions according to their duties and responsibilities.

Departments such as development and reform, economy and informatization, education, science and technology, finance, planning and resources, housing and urban-rural development management, agriculture and rural affairs, market regulation, landscaping and city appearance, government affairs administration, and urban management law enforcement shall perform water conservation related work according to their respective duties and responsibilities.

Article 7

This Municipality supports research in water conservation, including basic studies, generic key technologies, cutting-edge and pioneering technologies, and modern engineering technologies. It promotes the deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application, enhances the capacity for water conservation technology innovation and its industrial application, and strengthens the supportive role of technological innovation in promoting water conservation.

This Municipality supports the promotion and application of new water-saving technologies, processes, equipment, and materials, and fosters the development of the water conservation industry.

Article 8

The municipal and district people's governments and their relevant departments, town/township people's governments, and sub-district offices shall strengthen publicity, education, and scientific outreach on water conservation to facilitate the formation of a social consensus and positive social practices regarding voluntary water saving.

This Municipality shall launch focused campaigns around occasions such as World Water Day and Water Conservation Awareness Week to enhance the public's awareness and skills regarding water conservation.

Article 9

This Municipality shall strengthen cooperation with relevant provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Delta region in the field of water conservation, promote information sharing, coordination and unification of relevant standards and norms, and joint problem-tackling in technology, to facilitate high-quality coordinated development in the field of water conservation.

Chapter II  Basic Management Regulations

Article 10

The municipal and district people's governments shall, based on economic and social development needs, water resource conditions, and higher-level water conservation plans, organize the formulation of water conservation plans for their respective administrative regions, clarify contents such as water resource status assessments, water conservation potential analysis, water conservation goals, main tasks, and measures, and strengthen the coordination and linkage between territorial spatial planning and water conservation planning.

The formulation of relevant regional plans and special plans shall include content on water conservation.

Article 11

This Municipality shall implement the system for controlling total water consumption and water use intensity in accordance with national provisions.

Pursuant to the control targets for total water consumption and water use intensity issued by the State, the municipal water affairs department, in conjunction with the municipal development and reform department shall determine the respective targets for each district.

The municipal water affairs department shall define the annual total water consumption and  intensity control indicators for each district, taking into account the factors such as regional functional positioning, industrial layout, and population size.

Article 12

This Municipality shall implement planned water use management for units whose water consumption reaches a certain scale.

The municipal and district water affairs departments shall formulate annual water use plans for water-consuming units based on the annual total water use control targets and water quotas, taking into comprehensive consideration factors such as the production and living needs of the water-consuming units and the implementation of water-saving measures. These plans shall be dynamically adjusted according to changes in the units' production/operational status and the nature of their water use.

Water quotas shall be determined according to relevant state and municipal provisions and be revised in a timely manner based on factors such as economic and social development level, water resource conditions, industrial structure changes, and technological progress.

Article 13

Water usage shall be charged based on metered consumption. This Municipality shall improve the water pricing formation mechanism, ensuring it aligns with factors such as the level of economic and social development, water resource conditions, water quotas, water supply costs, the affordability of water-using units and individuals, and water conservation requirements. Furthermore, this Municipality shall establish and improve a differentiated water pricing system conducive to promoting water conservation, so as to guide and incentivize water conservation across society.

Article 14

For new, renovated and expanded construction projects, the development unit shall formulate a water conservation plan based on the project's construction content and construct supporting water conservation facilities. Water conservation facilities shall be designed, constructed, and put into use simultaneously with the main project. The investment in water conservation facility construction shall be included in the total project investment.

In cases requiring statutory review of construction design documents, the reviewing agency shall review the design content of the water conservation facilities in accordance with laws, rules, and mandatory construction standards.

The water affairs department shall strengthen guidance and services for the construction of water-saving facilities.

Article 15

Water-consuming units shall strengthen the management of water facilities to ensure water balance.

Units whose water consumption reaches a certain scale shall conduct water balance tests in accordance with national standards and relevant municipal provisions, to detect, analyze, and evaluate water consumption links, processes, and equipment; problems identified shall be promptly improved.

The water balance test results and improvement shall be submitted to the water affairs department for recording within 15 days from the date of completion of the test and improvements.

Article 16

The municipal and district water affairs departments shall establish a list of key monitored water-consuming units in accordance with relevant state provisions and make it public annually.

The water affairs department shall conduct real-time monitoring of the water consuming circumstances of key monitored water-consuming units. Upon detection of abnormal monitoring data, such data shall be promptly notified to the key water-consuming unit under monitoring and the unit shall also be urged to conduct investigation, rectification, and other necessary actions.

Article 17

This Municipality shall implement water efficiency label management for water-using products with significant water-saving potential and wide application, in accordance with relevant national provisions.

Water-using products included in the national water efficiency labeling product catalog must be marked with a water efficiency label in a conspicuous location on the product or its minimum packaging, and as provided, this must be explained in the product instruction manual. For online transactions, sellers must prominently display the corresponding water efficiency label on the main product information page.

Article 18

This Municipality strengthens water conservation standardization work. The municipal water affairs department, in conjunction with relevant departments, shall organize the formulation of local water conservation standards and technical specifications in accordance with state and municipal provisions and based on the needs of building a water-conservation society.

Relevant social organizations and enterprises are encouraged to formulate water conservation association standards and corporate standards that are more stringent than the technical requirements of national, industrial, and local standards in accordance with the law.

Chapter III  Whole-Process Water Conservation

Article 19

For construction projects requiring water intake, when applying for a water intake permit in accordance with the law, the applicant shall conduct a water resources argumentation as required. This argumentation shall include a key analysis and evaluation of the necessity and reasonable scale of water intake and utilization, water use efficiency, water-saving potential, and the effectiveness of water-saving measures, which shall be incorporated into the construction project's water resources argumentation report.

Water-consuming units shall withdraw water in accordance with the conditions specified in the water intake permit, accurately measure usage, strengthen the management and maintenance of water intake and conveyance engineering facilities, and strictly control water losses during intake and conveyance.

Article 20

Public water supply enterprises shall adopt advanced water production technologies, processes, and equipment to improve water production efficiency and quality. Water production losses shall comply with relevant state and municipal provisions.

Public water supply enterprises shall improve a water supply network leakage control system, and adopt measures such as zone metering, network facility maintenance and renovation to reduce the network facility leakage rate. Public water supply enterprises shall formulate renovation plans for water supply network facilities based on factors such as leakage, pipeline material, and service life, and regularly report the implementation of renovations to the water affairs department; the water affairs department shall strengthen guidance, coordination, and supervision.

Leakage losses exceeding the national standard for water supply network leakage control shall not be included in the pricing cost of public water supply enterprises.

Article 21

The management unit of secondary water supply facilities shall conduct routine maintenance on secondary water supply facilities in accordance with relevant municipal provisions and technical specifications, and implement measures such as regular inspections and repairs to strictly control water loss from secondary water supply facilities.

Public water supply enterprises shall install master monitoring meters in residential communities. Upon detecting abnormal water usage data that may indicate water loss from secondary water supply facilities, they shall promptly identify the cause of the loss and notify the relevant management unit of the secondary water supply facilities to conduct inspections and repairs.

Article 22

Water-consuming units in industries and service fields shall strengthen internal water use management, establish water conservation management systems, adopt advanced and applicable water-conservation technologies, processes, and equipment such as graded-quality water supply systems, efficient cooling and washing, water recycling, and wastewater treatment and reuse to reduce water consumption per unit product (or output value) and increase the water reuse rate.

This Municipality shall promote efficient water-conservation irrigation technologies in agriculture, encourage the development of intelligent precision irrigation systems; promote the simultaneous installation of irrigation water metering facilities in new, renovated and expanded irrigation engineering projects; and promote the recycling of aquaculture tail water.

This Municipality shall actively promote the formation of good water-conservation habits among the public, promote the "Empty Bottle Campaign" for bottled drinking water, and guide residents to choose domestic water-conservation appliances.

Article 23

For the newly built, renovated, or expanded industrial parks, facilities for water intake, supply, drainage, wastewater treatment and recycling, and reclaimed water utilization shall be developed in a coordinated manner. This will promote cascading water use, graded-quality water use, and step-by-step utilization among enterprises to achieve multiple water uses and recycling.

Existing industrial parks are encouraged to undergo green, high-quality transformation, upgrading, and circularization with a focus on water conservation, and to accelerate the construction of water-conservation and water circulation facilities.

The management agencies of industrial parks shall establish and improve water conservation regimes, and urge enterprises within the parks to implement water-saving requirements.

Water affairs departments shall enhance guidance regarding industrial parks' water conservation regimes and the retrofitting of water-saving facilities.

Article 24

This Municipality shall strictly regulate water use in high water-consuming industries and service sectors. By comprehensively utilizing measures such as water quotas and differentiated water pricing, it shall promote the improvement of water-saving technologies, equipment, and processes in high water-consuming industrial enterprises such as thermal power generation, steel, petrochemicals and high water-consuming service enterprises such as vehicle washes, golf courses, artificial ski resorts, thereby enhancing their water use efficiency.

High water-consuming industrial enterprises whose water use level exceeds the water quota shall carry out water-saving renovations within a specified time limit.

Article 25

Public institutions shall play an exemplary role in water conservation by establishing and improving water conservation management systems, setting annual water-saving targets and specific measures, effectively monitoring and statistically analyzing water usage, and promptly identifying and rectifying water waste.

Public institutions shall take the lead in adopting advanced water-saving technologies, processes, equipment, and products, carry out water-saving retrofits, and actively build water-saving institutions. Water-intensive public institutions shall take the lead in fully utilizing water-saving fixtures and accelerate the renovation of aging pipeline networks.

When selecting property service enterprises, public institutions shall take into account their capabilities in water conservation management.

Article 26

This Municipality shall promote the construction of dedicated municipal water supply facilities to implement designated water access points for urban landscaping, environmental sanitation, and other public services.

Parks, green spaces, and woodlands with channels shall prioritize using the water from those channels that meet standards for irrigation. Specific measures shall be formulated by the municipal water affairs department in conjunction with the municipal landscape and city appearance department.

Article 27

This Municipality shall strengthen the reuse of treated wastewater and the utilization of rainwater resources.

For newly built, renovated and expanded sewage treatment plants, reclaimed water utilization facilities shall be constructed concurrently in accordance with the planning and relevant provisions.

For newly built, renovated and expanded construction projects, rainwater harvesting and utilization facilities shall be constructed concurrently in accordance with state and municipal provisions. Existing buildings are encouraged to construct rainwater harvesting and utilization facilities based on their specific conditions.

Article 28

This Municipality shall advocate for the preferential utilization of non-conventional water resources, including recycled water and harvested rainwater.

Enterprises in high water-consuming industries, as well as units using water for urban landscaping, road cleaning, construction, and ecological landscapes, shall prioritize the use of reclaimed water and harvested rainwater that meet standard requirements.

Public institutions with high water consumption shall take the lead in utilizing non-conventional water resources.

Sewage treatment plants are encouraged to engage in supply-demand matching for reclaimed water use with water-consuming units. The price of reclaimed water shall be determined through negotiation between the supply and demand parties under government coordination.

Chapter IV  Safeguards and Supervision

Article 29

The municipal and district people's governments and their relevant departments shall formulate and improve relevant policies and measures. By comprehensively utilizing fiscal, financial, pricing, and other policies, they shall enhance support for water-conservation technological transformation and innovation, detection and renovation of leakage in water supply network facilities, the use of non-conventional water resources, and green consumption of water-saving products.

This Municipality shall support the development of various forms of water rights trading in accordance with state provisions.

Article 30

This Municipality shall encourage the development of a socialized, specialized, standardized, and market-oriented water-conservation service industry. Water-conservation service institutions shall be encouraged to innovate service models and be guided and promoted to sign water conservation management contracts with water-consuming units or individuals, providing water-saving services and generating reasonable returns through models such as water-saving benefit sharing, water-saving performance guarantees, and water fee trusteeship.

Water-conservation service institutions must possess technical personnel, capabilities, and facilities appropriate for their operations, and shall conduct their activities in accordance with relevant technical standards.

Article 31

This Municipality shall, leveraging the government services "Government Online-Offline Shanghai" platform, the city operation "Integrated Online Management" platform, and Big Data Resource platform, enhance information sharing in water conservation efforts among departments including water affairs, development and reform, economy and informatization, housing and urban-rural development management, agriculture and rural affairs, landscaping and city appearance, and urban management law enforcement. This integration optimizes government services, fosters inter-departmental collaboration, and improves smart water conservation management and service delivery.

Public institutions, key monitored water-consuming units, high water-consuming industrial enterprises, large commercial complexes, and other water-consuming units are encouraged to build water conservation information management systems.

Article 32

Relevant industry associations in this Municipality shall strengthen industry self-discipline, implement industry training and outreach initiatives, provide information, technology, and consulting services, and organize and guide members to participate in building a water-conservation society.

Article 33

This Municipality shall support voluntary service organizations and volunteers in legally participating in water conservation efforts, such as publicity campaigns and demonstration initiatives.

Relevant departments shall, within their respective spheres of duty, provide guidance and assistance to voluntary service organizations and volunteers in conducting water conservation services. Enterprises, public institutions, grassroots mass self-governance organizations, and other entities are encouraged to provide venues and other conveniences for carrying out water conservation voluntary services.

Article 34

Public institutions and operators of public places such as hotels, shopping malls, railway stations, airports, and parks shall strengthen water conservation advocacy by displaying water-conservation prompts and awareness signs.

Schools shall integrate the concept of water conservation into their campus culture to foster water-saving awareness among students.

News media outlets shall carry out public interest campaigns on water conservation and exercise public oversight over behaviors that waste water resources.

Article 35

Units and individuals that have achieved significant results in water conservation shall be commended and rewarded in accordance with relevant state and municipal provisions.

Article 36

Any unit or individual that discovers behavior of wasting water resources may report it through channels such as the citizen service hotline or directly report to the water affairs department or other relevant departments; the relevant departments shall handle it promptly according to law.

Article 37

Water affairs departments and other relevant departments shall, in accordance with their respective duties and responsibilities, strengthen the supervision and inspection of water utilization activities, and investigate and address violations in accordance with the law.

Water affairs departments shall enhance the supervision and management of key monitored water users and enterprises in high water-consuming industries by carrying out data monitoring, water efficiency benchmarking, and water audits, to ensure their compliance with water-conservation requirements and the improvement of water use efficiency.

Article 38

This Municipality shall, in accordance with national provisions, implement a water conservation responsibility system and a water conservation assessment and evaluation system. The completion of water-conservation targets shall be incorporated into the evaluation of the water resources management system implementation.

Article 39

The water affairs department shall, in coordination with relevant departments and in accordance with national and municipal provisions, compile and integrate credit information related to water use activities of entities and individuals into the public credit information service platform of this Municipality, and implement incentives for trustworthy behavior and disciplinary measures for non-compliance according to the law.

Chapter V  Legal Liability

Article 40

Where provisions of laws or rules already specify penalties for acts that violate these Regulations, such provisions shall prevail.

Article 41

Any water user that fails to fulfill its obligations in violation of Article 15 of these Regulations shall be ordered by the water affairs department to make corrections within a prescribed time limit and shall be subject to the following penalties:

1. A fine of not less than 10,000 yuan but not more than 50,000 yuan shall be imposed for failure to conduct a water balance test as required; and

2. A fine of not less than 5,000 yuan but not more than 30,000 yuan shall be imposed for failure to comply with the filing requirements and refusing to make corrections within the prescribed time limit.

Chapter VI  Supplementary Provision

Article 42

These Regulations shall be effective as of November 1, 2025.