Sustainable Utilization Of Water Resources Research Articles

Impacts of human activity on Bayin River runoff as revealed by tree rings in Qaidam Basin, China

Evaluating the impacts of human activity on river runoff has important implications for regional water resource management. Here, we used seven tree-ring width chronologies to establish a regional mean tree-ring width chronology from the northern mountain of Delingha, Qaidam Basin. We conducted the correlation, moving correlation and regression analysis of regional mean tree-ring width chronology with runoff data from Bayin River gauge station. Then, we stimulated the June runoff of Bayin River from 1956 to 2002. The results showed that the highest correlation coefficient was found for June runoff (r=0.63, P<0.01), and their moving correlation coefficient decreased after 1986. Based on the stable relationship between tree-ring width chronology and the June runoff during 1956-1986, we built the reconstruction function, which was explained 50.8% of observed runoff. The stimulated runoff during 1987 to 2002 was significantly higher than the observed runoff (3.01 m3·s-1, P<0.001). These results indicated that human activity from the upper river had significant impacts on Bayin River runoff. Human activity should be considered as an important factor to protect security of sustainable water resource utilization for future water resource development and utilization in Bayin River region.

Physicochemical and Bacteriological Water Quality Parameters in Relation to Land-use Practices at a Rural Catchment, Mbinga District, Tanzania

Data on physicochemical water quality parameters and contamination levels is crucial for protection and sustainable utilization of water resources. This study assessed the physicochemical water quality parameters, faecal coliform bacteria and nutrient loads in water at a catchment used for municipal supply in Mbinga District, Tanzania. Samples were seasonally collected from three areas characterized by distinct geographical features, settlement patterns and land-use practices, and analyzed using standard analytical protocols. Data were subjected to paired-sampled t-test and cluster analysis. The parameters varied as follows: pH (4.75–6.83); temperature (16.4–26.2 ºC); electrical conductivity (14.6–121.1 µS/cm); total dissolved solids (7.0–23.2 mg/L); total suspended solids (BDL–35.5 mg/L); dissolved oxygen (8.6–23.8 mg/L); turbidity (0.1–68.1 NTU); faecal coliform (&lt;1–76 FC/100 mL); nitrite (BDL–0.09 mg/L); nitrate and sulphate were not detected. Spatial variations were associated with land-use disparities. Comparison to risk-based regulatory thresholds for drinking water revealed the levels to be within the acceptable limits, with a few exceptions. Observed seasonal trends indicated an overall decrease in water quality during the wet season. Generally, results showed that water quality at the catchments satisfies requirements for domestic uses. However, the potential contamination risks from human activities call for regular monitoring.&#x0D; Keywords: Physicochemical parameters; faecal contamination; water quality; surface water; Mbinga District

Urban Green-space Water-consumption characteristics and its driving factors in China

Understanding the characteristics of urban green-space water consumption is crucial to sustainable urban development under urbanization and water scarcity. However, temporal–spatial and driving characteristics of urban green-space water consumption are still unknown. Characteristics and driving factors of urban green-space water consumption in 286 cities in China are analyzed in this study. Results showed that the urban green-space water consumption (m3/ha) of 286 cities changed (decreased: 250, increased: 36, and p < 0.05) from 2004 to 2017. The urban green-space water consumption (m3/ha) decreased by 57.54% from 9,490 m3/ha to 4,030 m3/ha. In addition, 44 cities demonstrate high water consumption (>12,570 m3/ha) and 74 cities present low water consumption (≤6,380 m3/ha). High and low water consumption cities are aggregated in southern and northern China, respectively. Urban water supply, education, number of patents, GDP per capita, temperature, rainfall, and park areas significantly increased the urban green-space water consumption (p < 0.05), while built-ups, green land, and built-up coverage rate significantly reduced the urban green-space water consumption (p < 0.05). Water recovery rate and water price minimally affect the urban green-space water consumption but provide new ideas for sustainable utilization of water resources. This study highlights the potential of water recovery subsidies and water markets in urbanization.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Oasis soil composition based on high-resolution image and plant landscape design of park

In desert area, the precipitation is less and the evaporation is fast. Groundwater is the main source of oasis development. The balance of oasis environment depends on the rational use of groundwater. Sustainable utilization of water resources and effective irrigation to prevent soil salinization, desertification, and vegetation degradation caused by improper irrigation are directly related to the sustainable development of oasis. In this paper, we take the largest desert oasis as an example. Based on a large number of historical data and high-resolution images, field investigation, sampling, and laboratory analysis were carried out to study the salinization characteristics of oasis soil components. We will analyze the changes of soil salinization and irrigation water quality in the past 50 years of oasis development and provide information about oasis water resources, which will provide scientific basis for management and policy-making and for similar research in other oases. This paper also studies the Wetland Park, which is a combination of environmental benefits, aesthetic value, and social value of the theme park, is an important place for tourism, leisure, entertainment, and popular science education. In the wetland, the beautification of plant landscape directly affects the overall landscape quality of the park. At present, the research on urban wetland plant landscape construction mainly focuses on qualitative suggestions based on subjective evaluation. This study puts forward quantitative suggestions based on the subjective evaluation of establishing relevant system with objective factors as indicators. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the management of urban wetland park before and after maintenance. In this paper, through the study of high-resolution image, it is applied to oasis soil composition research and park plant landscape design and then to promoting the sustainable development of oasis and plant landscape.

Risk Assessment of Water Resources Carrying Capacity in China

AbstractAs a fundamental natural resource and a strategic economic resource, water resources play a key supporting role in the process of social and economic development. In this paper, risk factors influencing the water resources carrying capacity (WRCC) were investigated based on risk theory and resources carrying capacity theory, and a method for the risk assessment of the WRCC was proposed. The vulnerability of WRCC system was evaluated by using the Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation method, the hazard of WRCC system was calculated by using the comprehensive hazard index, and then the risk of WRCC was obtained by combining the vulnerability with the hazard. The risk of WRCC in China due to climate change, urbanization, and industrialization was thoroughly investigated. The results demonstrated that the risk of WRCC was higher in Northern China than in Southern China and was higher in developed areas than in developing areas. The risk was observed to be highest in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. Meanwhile, the results also suggested that the risk of WRCC can be reduced in two ways: (1) Reducing the pressure on the water resources carrying system caused by economic and social activities; and (2) increasing the water resources supply in certain areas. The risk assessment of the WRCC presented here provides a valuable reference for the management and sustainable utilization of water resources in China.

The regulation and management of water resources in groundwater over-extraction area based on ET

Because of the shortage of water resources, the phenomenon of groundwater over-extraction is widespread in many parts of the world, which has become a hot issue to be solved. The traditional idea of water resources management only considering blue water (stream flow) cannot meet the demand of sustainable utilization of water resources. Blue water accounts for less than 40% of total rainfall, while green water (evapotranspiration) accounts for more than 60% of total rainfall. In the natural environment, vegetation growth mainly depends on green water, which is often neglected. Obviously, the traditional water resources management without considering green water has obvious deficiencies, which cannot really reflect the regional water consumption situation in the water resources management. And only by limiting water consumption can achieve the real water-saving. In addition, the mode of water resources development and utilization has changed from “supply according to demand” to “demand according to supply”. In this background, for many regions with limited water resources, it is impossible to rely on excessive water intake for development, and sustainable development of regional can only be realized by truly controlling water demand. This paper chooses Shijin Irrigation District in the North China Plain as the research area, where agricultural water consumption is high and groundwater over-extraction is serious and ecological environment is bad. In order to alleviate this situation, comprehensive regulation of water resources based ET is necessary. Therefore, this paper focuses on the concept of ET water resources management and includes green water into water resources assessment. Based on the principle of water balance, the target ET value of crops in the study area is calculated, and the ET value is taken as the target of water resources regulation. The actual water consumption is calculated by Penman-Monteith formula, and reduction of crop water consumption is obtained according to the difference between actual ET and target ET. The reduction in crop water consumption leads to a reduction in demand for water supply, which reduces groundwater extraction. The results of this study can provide necessary technical support for solving the problem of groundwater over-extraction and realizing real water-saving.

Efficiency Evaluation and Projection Improvement of the Industrial Water–Energy Nexus in China Based on Network Data Envelopment Analysis

Water and energy are critical resources for human well-being. The quantification and explanation of the water–energy nexus is important to enrich our understanding of sustainable utilization of water and energy resources in a unified framework. Herein, from the perspective of production efficiency, this study investigates the water–energy nexus in China’s industrial sector by developing a network data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. Under two practical principles, we evaluate the water and energy usage efficiencies as well as give projection points in terms of industrial production and wastewater treatment processes for 30 provinces or urban areas in China during 2011–2015. The results show that the overall efficiency values of most provinces in the industrial water–energy nexus system are high although the efficiency value of each province fluctuates up and down in the sample period. When comparing two subsystems, for most provinces, the sub-efficiencies of the industrial production subsystem are relatively higher than those of the wastewater treatment subsystem under the economic priority principle or environment priority principle. Considering the projection points, the potential improvement space of the environment priority strategy is higher than that of the economic priority strategy. Based on the empirical results, relevant policy suggestions are provided to improve the provincial or urban industrial water–energy nexus system in reality.

Estimation of seasonal base flow contribution to a tropical river using stable isotope analysis

Increase in water demand within the Cauvery River Basin is a cause of serious concern over sustainable utilization and managment of water resources. Sustainable, efficent and equitable managment of Cauvery riverwater requires a thorough understanding of the contributing sources and hydrological processes influencing avaliability of water resources. The study investigates the seasonal contribution of surface runoff and baseflow to the Cauvery streamflow using isotope mass balance approach. Stable Isotope measurements (δ2H, δ18O) of Cauvery river water along with groundwater are carried during seasonal time intervals spanning from 2014 − 2016, covering pre-monsoon (PM), south-west monsoon (SWM) and north-east monsoon (NEM) seasons. Field campaigns yielded seasonal datasets of Cauvery riverwater and groundwater isotopic composition. Stable isotope analysis showed a seasonal shift in the river water isotopic composition (δ2H 8‰, δ18O 0.95‰) between pre- monsoon (PM) and south-west monsoon (SWM) seasons. Isotopically heavier values are recorded during the pre-monsoon season; coinciding with the period of low flow condition, whereas the monsoon season is characterized by high discharge and recorded isotopically lighter values. The Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Reservoir controls the isotopic composition of riverwater by evaporative process, during the pre-monsoon season resulting in river water becoming isotopically lighter. We utilized two-component mixing model to estimate the seasonal base flow contribution to the Cauvery River, for which the river is segmented into three sectors. The average base flow contribution to river flow during pre-monsoon season in sector I is 85 ± 5%, whereas in sector II and III the average groundwater contribution drops to 59 ± 3% and 39 ± 3% respectively. Similarly, the average base flow contribution to the river flow during south-west monsoon season drops to 32 ± 7% in sector I, whereas in sector II and III the average base flow contribution is estimated at 42 ± 7% and 47 ± 7% respectively. The base flow contribution is appreciably high in the upper Cauvery Basin comprising the Western Ghats, which plays a crucial role in sustaining stream flow during the pre-monsoon season. Assessment of spatial and temporal variability of surface water and groundwater isotopic composition within the Cauvery River Basin provides an important dataset for developing a sustainable river management plan in this tropical mesoscale riverine system.

Separating variance in the runoff in Beijing's river system under climate change and human activities

Identifying the individual contributions of factors impacting the water resources in Beijing plays crucial roles in planning water management for resolving water shortage problems and for the sustainable utilization of water resources. In this study, four statistical methods, the Mann-Kendall test, double mass curve method, modified slope changing ratio of accumulative quantity method, and generalized linear model, were employed to detect the individual contributions of climate change and human activities on the variation of runoff in Beijing from 1961 to 2017. Our results showed that the annual runoff declined significantly during the entire study period. The mean temperature increased significantly, while the annual precipitation did not change significantly, over the entire study period. An abrupt change was detected in 1977 with a change in runoff. During the period of change, climate change contributed 20.0% to the increase in runoff, while human activities contributed 120% to the decline in runoff from 1978 to 2017. Furthermore, we partitioned the contributions of human activities into eight social and economic factors. These factors explained 55.29% of the total contributions of human activities. The economic factors, the changes in the arable land area and accumulative construction area, and the change in urbanization rate contributed 15.94%, 18.37%, and 6.05% to the total variation in runoff, respectively. Finally, the South-to-North Water Transfer Project contributed 5.19% of the change in runoff. Our study provides the individual contributions of the specific impact factors to runoff in Beijing and may help policy-makers to devise targeted water resource management plans.

Discussion on Advanced Treatment of Sewage and Sustainable Utilization of Water Resources

Discussion on Advanced Treatment of Sewage and Sustainable Utilization of Water Resources

Formalizing an evaluation-prediction based roadmap towards urban sustainability: A case study of Chenzhou, China

Urban Sustainability (US) studies are dedicated to addressing what factors influencing and how to achieve sustainability of cities. Existing knowledge, however, lacks an integrated approach defining the interrelationships among urban systems and designing the pathways towards sustainable development. This study aims to formalize a roadmap framework based on the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model to evaluate and predict US. The framework was validated by taking Chenzhou city in China as a case study, which is characterized to advance sustainable utilization and green development of urban water resources. A US measurement system with 33 indicators were proposed and weighted through a focus group interview with experts from urban management professionals. US performances of Chenzhou were evaluated using the panel data during 2010–2019 and predicted applying regression analyses during 2020–2030. Results indicate that Chenzhou performed quite differently among the DPSIR systems regarding sustainability, with their coordination degree fluctuated during the evaluation period. Predictions reveal that deviations exist across the evolutionary trends of DPSIR systems, but the overall US performance and the coordination degree are envisioned to be maximized before 2030. To this end, implemental strategies and managerial countermeasures were formulated to make trade-offs between achieving US and facilitating DPSIR coordination. Findings advance the knowledge domain of urban development assessment by integrating US measurement, evaluation and prediction, and roadmap design. Practically, the roadmap provides decision-making supports for urban planners, developers, and policymakers to manage and govern operations and policies of urban management.

Research on regional water demand prediction of the upper and middle reaches of The Pearl River Basin based on system dynamics

The prediction and calculation of water resource demand play a crucial role in the balance of water resource supply and demand in the research area. Only when the water demand of the research area is accurately and reasonably grasped, it is possible to make corresponding management and adjustment according to the actual situation in the process of water resource utilization, so as to ensure the sustainable development and utilization of water resource. In this paper, the upper and middle reaches of the Pearl River basin is taken as the research area. According to the relationship between supply and demand and the social and economic situation of the Pearl River basin, VENSIM PLE is used to establish the dynamic model of the water demand forecasting system of the Pearl River Basin. The model involves four subsystems of population, industry, agriculture and water resource, and the water resource demand of the three provinces is simulated. Compared with the results of the pearl River Basin planning report, the prediction error is small, which proves that the system dynamics model is feasible to predict the water demand of the Pearl River Basin.

Reference evapotranspiration change in Heilongjiang Province, China from 1951 to 2018: The role of climate change and rice area expansion

It is of great significance to study the variation in reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and the factors that influence it to ensure the sustainable and efficient utilization of water resources. In this study, the spatio-temporal changes in ETo and rice areas as well as the relationship between them in Heilongjiang Province, China, from 1951 to 2018 were analysed by using trend, correlation and contribution analyses. The results showed that rice area expansion is an important factor affecting ETo changes. ETo in Heilongjiang Province decreased during the study period. The areas with high ETo in the Songnen and Sanjiang Plain showed a gradually shrinking trend. Climate change and rice area expansion both contributed to the decline in ETo. The decreases in sunshine duration and average wind speed in Heilongjiang Province were the main reasons for the decrease in ETo. Rice area in Heilongjiang province continued to increase at a rate of 0.54 × 105 ha yr−1. The expansion of rice area in Sanjiang Plain was the largest, followed by Songnen Plain. In response to the rice area expansion, the rise in average temperature slowed down, the average relative humidity was increased, while wind speed was reduced, which directly lead to the decrease in ETo. The effects of the transformation of different land types into rice fields on ETo were different. The cumulative effects of wetlands and dry fields conversion to rice fields on ETo were 7.67 mm yr−1 and − 20.15 mm yr−1 in Sanjiang Plain respectively.

Analysis of the ultimate water resources carrying capacity in Yancheng, China

Abstract Unreasonable development and utilization of resources has caused serious environmental problems, especially water shortage and water pollution. Determining the largest population size and economic scale that water resources can support without destroying the ecological environment in a region, that is, ultimate water resources carrying capacity (UWRCC), helps to realize the sustainable utilization of water resources. UWRCC is a variable value which is easily affected by natural conditions, technical level and economic status. This study proposes a UWRCC research method that combines multi-objective optimization and scenario analysis. This method draws a diagram of UWRCC result sets based on multi-scenario UWRCC calculation, through which UWRCC values under different specific technical and economic levels are easily and quickly obtained. This method has been applied to Yancheng in this study and the quantitative relationship between technical level, economic level and UWRCC of Yancheng was analyzed. Taking Yancheng as the research area, this study analyzes the quantitative relationship between the technical level, economic level and UWRCC of Yancheng. The results show that according to existing government planning, Yancheng's water resources will be sufficient to support socioeconomic development. But the districts of Yandu, Tinghu, and Binghai will experience population and gross domestic product overloading in future years. In addition, a diagram of the UWRCC sets of Yancheng was obtained and it provides a reference for local water resources management.

Quantitative assessment of the attribution of runoff change caused by four factors in the Haihe River basin

In this work, Water shortage problem is severe in the Haihe River basin (HRB). Furthermore, there is a statistically significant decreasing trend in runoff in the HRB. Quantitative assessment of the attribution of runoff change has important scientific significance to investigate the mechanism of water cycle and to support the sustainable utilization of water resources. Using regionalization approach, the model parameters of the VIC model are estimated for the whole HRB, and the natural runoff has been reconstructed. A quantitative attribution assessment framework for runoff change driven by temperature change, precipitation change, underlying surface change and water withdrawal has been constructed. The results indicates that human activities are the main reason for the runoff decrease in the HRB during 1956-2010. Generally, climate change and human activities account for 1/3 and 2/3 of the runoff decrease, respectively. In climate change, the contribution of precipitation decline (30%) is much higher than the impact of temperature increase (4%). In human activities, the influence of water withdrawal (55%) is greater than that of underlying surface change (11%). Spatially, from north HRB to south HRB, the impact of temperature change decreases, while the influence of precipitation change increases. Relatively, the breakpoint of runoff is later in the Luanhe River Basin, the contribution of water withdrawal in the north HRB and south HRB is higher than that in other regions, and the decreasing trend in runoff is slight and the attribution is uncertain in the Tuhaimajia River basin.

Spatiotemporal Variation of Groundwater Recharge in the Lower Reaches of the Poyang Lake Basin, China: Insights From Stable Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotopes

AbstractUnderstanding of groundwater recharge and associated hydrological processes is important for sustainable management and utilization of water resources, especially in the monsoon regions. However, few systematic studies have been conducted on the spatiotemporal variation of groundwater recharge. In this study, stable isotopes of precipitation and groundwater were used to explore the spatiotemporal variation of groundwater recharge in the lower reaches of the Poyang Lake Basin of China, a region affected by the interplay of different monsoons. The results indicated that isotopic values (δ2H and δ18O) of precipitation exhibited obvious seasonal variations, higher in winter and lower in summer, controlled by different monsoons. The stable isotopes of groundwater also presented distinct seasonal variations, revealing the dominant influence of seasonal precipitation, but they had different characteristics in space. In the northern study area and Rao and Xin Basins, the isotopic signatures of groundwater showed the shift to lower values in summer and higher values in winter, consistent with those of precipitation, while in the Ganfu Plain, which is characterized by poorly permeable strata, isotopic signatures of groundwater presented opposite temporal variations than those of precipitation (lagged behind precipitation). The characteristics of groundwater isotopes might be linked with the spatial heterogeneity of groundwater recharge rate, which was affected by recharge mechanisms, lithology of aquifer materials, and interaction between groundwater and lake water. This study provides insights into the groundwater recharge of the Poyang Lake Basin and other similar areas.

Urban Water Inclusive Sustainability: Evidence from 38 Cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China

The ecological environment of urban water resources in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is in a huge challenge; yet, while myriad studies have investigated the carrying capacity or sustainable utilization of Chinese water resources, few to none have looked at the inclusive sustainable development of water resources. In this article, a new concept of urban water inclusive sustainability (UWIS) is firstly proposed, and the conceptual framework of ASFII and a five-dimensional indicator system are developed, integrating availability, sustainability, friendliness, inclusiveness and innovation. The panel data of 38 cities in the YREB are adopted from 2008 to 2018 to measure UWIS and five development indexes by the TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) and entropy method. Moreover, the characteristics of the temporal–spatial evolution of the overall system and subsystems coupling coordination are described using the coupling coordination degree model. Key factors that hinder UWIS are identified through the obstacle degree model. The results indicate that the overall UWIS showed a gradual upward trend at a lower to medium level from 2008 to 2018 and a friendliness &gt; sustainability &gt; inclusiveness &gt; innovation &gt; availability index. The UWIS from high to low is YRDUA (Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration), MRYRUA (middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration) and CCUA (Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration). The 38 cities are in low-level coordination, and their temporal characteristics show a trend of economy &gt; science and technology &gt; water resources &gt; environment &gt; societal system, YRDUA &gt; MRYRUA &gt; CCUA. The spatial differentiation is manifested as high in the east and low in the west. The main obstacles come from 12 factors, such as the water resources utilization rate, etc. The findings of our study will be a scientific reference for the Chinese government to track UWIS and ensure urban water resources security in the YREB.

Urbanization-induced spatio-temporal variation of water resources utilization in northwestern China: A spatial panel model based approach

Rapid urbanization has become a common occurrence worldwide, and it is important to ensure a sustainable water supply despite the increasing severity of water resource constraints. As an important area along the one belt and one road line, northwest China has experienced increasing water shortages during the rapid urbanization process in recent decades. In the current work, we employed the Spatial Panel Econometric Model to explore the spatial influence of urbanization on water resource utilization and its driving mechanism (e.g., economy, population, trade, capital, investment and industry structure) based on the water ecological footprint perspective during the period from 2005 to 2017. The results indicated that urbanization and the water ecological footprint showed a spatially clustered trend. In addition, the spatial lag regression coefficient of ρ in the spatial Durbin model was significant at the 1% level, showing that the water ecological footprint had an obvious spatial spill-over effect. Urbanization reduced the water ecological footprint in northwest China, and the main driving factors were the economic scale effect, population scale effect and investment pull effect. However, human capital exhibited a significantly positive relationship with the water ecological footprint, which was contrary to our theoretical hypothesis. In the classification of the water ecological footprint, urbanization reduced the agricultural water ecological footprint both temporally and spatially, while the other classifications all increased. The results are beneficial for informing policies towards sustainable water resource utilization under the framework of integrated development in the process of rapid urbanization in northwest China.

An Analysis on the Trend of Sustainable Utilization of Water Resources in Dongying City, China

Dongying City is located in the northeast of Shandong Province and is the central city of the Yellow River Delta. It has abundant oil and gas resources, vast saline-alkali land area, and saline brine as the main groundwater. Therefore, freshwater resources are poor, as there is a contradiction in the water supply and its demand. Judging the trend of sustainable utilization of water resources in Dongying City has an important role in promoting the local conservation and exploitation of water resources, recycling water resources, and undermining the contradiction between supply and demand of urban water resources. In this paper, 21 indicators have been selected to build the index system for judging the sustainable utilization of water resources. In addition, the DPSIR model is used to evaluate the sustainable utilization trend of water resources in Dongying City from 2005 through 2017. On the other hand, the GM (1, 1) model is considered to predict the sustainable potential-utilization of water resources in Dongying City from 2019 through 2025. The results demonstrated that the sustainable utilization of water resources in Dongying City shows an increasing trend from 2005 to 2017, So that the highest and lowest values are in 2017 and 2005, respectively. In addition, the sustainable potential-utilization of water resources in Dongying City may indicate a continuous upward trend from 2019 through 2025. Rainfall, runoff of the Yellow River and water resources per capita are the main factors affecting the sustainable utilization of water resources. According to the continuous improvement of residents' awareness of water saving and water-saving level, the development and exploitation of water resources will be more and more reasonable.

Evaluation of Ecological Water Consumption in Yanhe River Basin Based on Big Data.

Starting from the main eco-environmental problems faced by water environment, taking Yanhe River Basin as an example, this paper discusses the theoretical connotation and evaluation calculation method of eco-environmental water consumption. In order to study the eco-environmental water consumption of Yanhe River Basin, a runoff driving factor mining method based on big data analysis is established in this paper. Aiming at the problem that the statistical law and genetic law of runoff change frequently in changing environment, the mining technology method of runoff key driving factors is proposed by combining traditional methods with big data analysis. The characteristic factors that have no significant impact on runoff change are removed, the implicit characteristic factors affecting runoff change are extracted, the driving relationship of hydrological, meteorological, and vegetation characteristic factors on ecological water consumption change is identified, and the key driving factors of ecological water consumption change are extracted, which lays a data foundation for ecological water consumption prediction based on machine learning. The economic water consumption based on eco-environmental water consumption in Yanhe River Basin in the future is predicted (including water demand in three aspects of industry, agriculture, and life); that is, the prediction is to meet the economic water demand on the basis of ensuring that the water consumption of ecological environment will not be occupied, which can effectively ensure the improvement of ecological environment function in Yanhe River Basin and is conducive to the sustainable utilization of water resources in Yanhe River Basin. The research is only based on a small watershed such as Yanhe River Basin, and the purpose of the research is to provide a reference for ecological environment protection and sustainable utilization of water resources in the Loess Plateau, even in the arid, semiarid, and semihumid areas of North China.