[Chinese Mainland] "Qinhuangdao Municipal Regulation on Urban Drainage and Sewage Treatment" Approved: Reclaimed Water Must Be Given Priority in Four Types of Scenarios, Effective November 1

Core Highlights: 2026年9月23日, the "Qinhuangdao Municipal Urban Drainage and Sewage Treatment Regulations" was approved by the Standing Committee of the 14th Hebei Provincial People's Congress and came into effect on 2026年11月1日. For the first time, the regulations clarify in the form of local legislation that when conditions for using Reclaimed Water are met, four categories of scenarios including urban greening, industrial production, and ecological environment shall give priority to the use of Reclaimed Water, and explicitly prohibit the connection of Reclaimed Water pipeline networks with water supply networks.

I. Legislative Implementation: From "Encouraged Use" to "Priority Shall Be Given"

For a long time, the advancement of Reclaimed Water utilization has faced a legal vacuum: at the national level, "encouragement" and "planning guidance" have been the main approach, while local practices have lacked mandatory levers. Qinhuangdao's legislation this time writes "Reclaimed Water priority" into mandatory provisions, meaning that Reclaimed Water is no longer merely an optional water-saving choice, but a mandatory option for specific water use scenarios.

Article 31 of the regulations stipulates that the competent department of urban drainage shall construct and renovate Reclaimed Water utilization facilities in accordance with planning to improve the Reclaimed Water utilization rate; the competent department of water administration shall incorporate Reclaimed Water into unified water resource allocation, and scientifically determine the scale and purposes of Reclaimed Water utilization based on water resource conditions, water environment capacity, and reuse demand. More importantly, the provisions explicitly state: where conditions for using Reclaimed Water are met, the following circumstances shall give priority to the use of Reclaimed Water meeting the standards:

• Urban miscellaneous water — greening, toilet flushing, road cleaning, vehicle washing, construction, etc.
• Industrial production water — cooling, washing, boiler make-up water, process water, etc.
• Ecological environment water — ornamental landscapes, rivers, lakes, wetlands, etc.
• Other circumstances where conditions for use are met

The four words "priority shall be given" upgrade Reclaimed Water from advocacy language to obligatory language, which will have direct binding force on new projects, industrial park supporting facilities, and municipal water intake approval.

II. Pipeline Network Safety: Red Line Drawn for "Dual-Network Cross-Connection"

The prerequisite for large-scale promotion of Reclaimed Water is public trust in pipeline network safety. Article 32 of the regulations imposes a rigid prohibition on this: no unit or individual may connect Reclaimed Water to water supply networks, may not unauthorizedly alter or operate public Reclaimed Water utilization facilities, may not unauthorizedly change the nature and purpose of Reclaimed Water use or supply it to other units or individuals, and may not without consent directly draw water from public Reclaimed Water pipeline networks or bypass metering devices to draw water.

At the same time, facility managers must take protective measures at water intake points and clearly mark "Non-Potable Water"; reserved interfaces on Reclaimed Water pipeline networks must be provided with safety signs strictly prohibiting connection to water supply networks. These provisions are in line with the spirit of "comprehensive utilization, safety and controllability" in the national "Urban Drainage and Sewage Treatment Regulations" (revised by State Council Order No. 843, effective 2026年8月15日).

III. First Batch of Local Supporting Samples After the Revision of Higher-Level Law

The Qinhuangdao regulations are not isolated legislation. On 2026年8月15日, the revised "Urban Drainage and Sewage Treatment Regulations" by the State Council officially came into effect, explicitly encouraging social capital to participate in the investment, construction, and operation of urban drainage and sewage treatment facilities, and encouraging the recycling of sewage and the resource utilization of sludge and rainwater. The Qinhuangdao regulations are precisely one of the first batch of supporting regulations after the revision of the higher-level law that concretize, localize, and make punishable the utilization of Reclaimed Water.

From the perspective of legislative technique, the regulations also simultaneously clarify the collection entity, payment obligors, and collection-on-behalf methods for sewage treatment fees, solving the long-standing problem of sewage treatment fees for self-supplied water source users being "uncollectible." Units and individuals discharging sewage into urban drainage and sewage treatment facilities shall pay sewage treatment fees in accordance with regulations; users of self-supplied water sources shall have fees collected by the competent department or entrusted to relevant units for collection on their behalf.

IV. Three Insights for the Water Treatment Industry

First, local legislation will become an "accelerator" for the expansion of the Reclaimed Water market. Previously, Reclaimed Water reuse projects mostly relied on fiscal subsidies, water price differentials, or corporate self-discipline; the Qinhuangdao model proves that once "priority use" enters local regulations, it can form systematic pressure through planning approval, water intake permits, water-saving assessments, and other links.

Second, the investment weight of pipeline networks and metering facilities will rise. The regulations' prohibition of cross-connections, transfer supply, and bypassing metering means that new Reclaimed Water projects must simultaneously be equipped with reliable pipeline network isolation, identification, and metering systems. This is clearly favorable for pipe materials, valves, online instruments, and Smart Water solution providers.

Third, industrial users need to plan Reclaimed Water intake points in advance. The regulations list industrial scenarios such as cooling, washing, boiler make-up, and process water as priority use targets. For industrial enterprises in Qinhuangdao and similar cities in Hebei Province, connecting to industrial park or municipal Reclaimed Water pipeline networks and renovating internal water use points will change from a "cost item" to a "compliance item."

From Qinhuangdao to the whole country, local legislation is transforming reclaimed water from an environmental protection topic into a "statutory component" of urban water resources. For water treatment and water reuse enterprises, understanding the language of legislation and planning ahead for pipeline networks and reuse solutions is more important than simply waiting for subsidies.

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