Hutuo River Water Supply Project Delivers Water to Taiyuan with Annual Capacity of 30 Million Cubic Metres

Shanxi Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission reported on 30 September 2026 that the Hutuo River Water Supply Project, a core segment of the second horizontal route within Shanxi’s modern water network framework, has begun supplying water to Taiyuan. Steady water flows enter the Shangyuan Surface Water Plant operated by Taiyuan Water Supply Group, adding a new high-quality surface water emergency backup source for the city, alongside the Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project, the main water supply source for Taiyuan.

The scheme comprises the Qingshui River source works and the water transmission pipeline system. The pipeline stretches roughly 82 kilometres, crossing Wutai County, Dingxiang County and Xinfu District in Xinzhou, and Yangqu County of Taiyuan. Water is drawn from the collection gallery of the Qingshui River source zone in Wutai County. Three booster pumping stations at Lijiazhuang, Zhijun and Shangzuo lift the water with a total delivery head of 468 metres, before it reaches the Shangyuan Surface Water Plant in Yangqu County. The project can divert up to 30 million cubic metres of water each year.

The Hutuo River scheme and the Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project operate in a complementary arrangement with coordinated water allocation, forming a dual-source, dual-security water supply system for Taiyuan. This structure refines the city’s water allocation model, which prioritises surface water with groundwater kept for emergency backup, and integrates municipal water security with ecological restoration work.

The project also forms a vital component of Shanxi’s ecological initiative to maintain clean water flowing into the Yellow River. By substituting groundwater abstraction with surface water supplies, the infrastructure supports steady recovery of regional groundwater levels, underpins stable reflow of the Lancun Spring and reinforces the ecological protection of the spring basin.