[Mainland China] On August 21, the Anhui Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment issued a formal reply to the provincial CPPCC proposal "On Accelerating Urban Reclaimed Water Utilization to Ease Urban Water Shortages," confirming an accelerated push for reclaimed water utilization across three fronts — source control, pilot demonstration, and standards support — under which reclaimed water reuse requirements are imposed on high-water-consumption industries such as building materials and printing and dyeing, a wastewater reuse rate of no less than 30% is required for the printing and dyeing industry, and Suzhou is selected as one of the first 19 national pilot cities for regional reclaimed water recycling and utilization. This marks a new stage of institutionalized and scaled-up development of reclaimed water utilization in a central province.

1. Source Control: Planning EIA Strengthens Reclaimed Water Reuse Requirements

In its reply, the Anhui Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment states that it will uphold "source control" as the first line of defense in accelerating reclaimed water utilization. During planning environmental impact assessment (EIA) reviews, it will center on improving environmental quality, strictly safeguard the ecological conservation red line, the environmental quality baseline, and the resource utilization ceiling, and impose differentiated reclaimed water reuse requirements tailored to different industries:

• Building materials industry — with large water demand and less stringent water quality requirements, reclaimed water can meet production needs, and the planning EIA requires development zones involving the building materials industry to further raise their reclaimed water reuse rate;
• Printing and dyeing industry — because its characteristic pollutants are difficult to degrade once they enter natural water bodies, the planning EIA requires strengthened recycling of printing and dyeing wastewater, with a wastewater reuse rate of no less than 30% required for areas involving the printing and dyeing industry.

This industry-specific source-control approach balances the water-use characteristics and quality requirements of each industry, embodies the "water conservation is pollution control" philosophy, and reduces environmental load at the source.

2. Pilot Demonstration: Suzhou Among the First 19 National Pilot Cities

To advance pilot work, the Anhui Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, together with the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Provincial Department of Water Resources, has launched regional reclaimed water recycling and utilization pilot programs. Through six major measures — rational planning and layout, strengthened operation and management of wastewater treatment plants, site-appropriate construction of constructed wetland water purification projects, improved reclaimed water allocation systems, broadened reclaimed water utilization channels, and enhanced monitoring and supervision — these programs promote reclaimed water recycling and utilization, and Suzhou has become one of the first 19 national pilot cities.

At the same time, Anhui is cooperating with water resources authorities on reclaimed water utilization and allocation pilots in typical regions, building a multi-tier, multi-model pilot system for reclaimed water utilization and accumulating replicable, scalable experience for the province and the country.

3. Standards Support: Constructed Wetland Engineering Specification for Effluent Takes Effect

To improve the quality of effluent from domestic wastewater treatment plants, reduce pollution load, and protect the water environment quality of rivers and lakes, Anhui Province issued the local standard "Technical Specification for Constructed Wetland Engineering for Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent" (DB34/T4384—2023) in 2023, further standardizing the overall design, engineering design, construction and acceptance, and operation and management of constructed wetland projects for domestic wastewater treatment plant effluent (including rural domestic wastewater treatment plants/stations) across the province.

The standard provides important technical support for reclaimed water utilization and ecological purification of effluent, giving the low-cost, low-carbon advanced purification pathway of constructed wetlands a clear technical specification to follow. It has positive demonstration significance for promoting resource recovery from wastewater treatment plant effluent and improving the water ecological environment.

4. Significance for the Water Sector

The reply from Anhui sends a clear policy signal: reclaimed water utilization is shifting from an "option" to a "requirement", and three major trends are emerging:

• Stricter industry constraints — wastewater reuse rates in high-water-consumption industries such as building materials and printing and dyeing are moving from "encouraged" to "mandatory," forcing enterprises to build supporting reclaimed water reuse facilities;
• Diversified pilot pathways — regional reclaimed water recycling and utilization pilots run in parallel with allocation pilots, covering both water-scarce and relatively water-abundant areas;
• Standardized technical specifications — local standards for effluent constructed wetlands and monitoring and supervision keep improving, providing technical safeguards for reclaimed water projects.

For enterprises in the wastewater treatment and water reuse industry chain, the acceleration of reclaimed water utilization in Anhui and other central provinces will drive substantial demand for advanced treatment of industrial park wastewater, constructed wetland purification projects, reclaimed water conveyance and distribution systems, and monitoring and supervision facilities, making it a key direction for expanding the central China water market.

TIANYI TECH Co., Ltd. specializes in wastewater treatment, water reuse (reclaimed water), and integrated water-environment management. It provides municipal and industrial park customers with integrated services covering process design, complete equipment supply, project implementation, and operation and maintenance, helping regions achieve efficient recycling and utilization of water resources.

Compiled from the Anhui Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment's letter of reply to Proposal No. 0854 of the Fourth Session of the 13th Provincial CPPCC.