Decree No. 647 of the State Council promulgating the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on administration of water supply and use of South-to-North Water Transfer Project.

China's south-to-north water diversion project, the world's largest, is designed to take water from the Yangtze river through eastern, middle and western routes to feed dry areas in the north. The purpose of these Regulations is to strengthen the water use and supply administration of the Project, give full play to the Project’s economic, social and ecological benefits. The text consists of 56 Articles divided into 7 Chapters: General provisions (I); Water dispatching (II); Water quality management (III); Administration of water use (IV); Management and protection of engineering facilities (V); Legal liabilities (VI); and Supplementary provisions (VII).
The national water competent authority shall take charge of the water dispatching of the project, and the national environmental protection competent authority shall be responsible for water pollution prevention and control relevant to the project (art.4).The state supports the industrial structure adjustment and ecological environment protection in the water source areas and the regions along the routes of the project to ensure water supply safety (art.5).
Chapter 2 provides for the annual water dispatch plan, water pricing, the water supply contracts, the emergency water dispatch scheme, etc.
Chapter 3 regulates the protection of drinking water sources and control and prevention of water pollution. The water environment ecological protection compensation shall be carried out in the water source areas of the project (art.19). The total main water pollutant discharge control system shall be put in practice in the water source area of the project’s central route and the regions along the project’s eastern route (art.20).
The remaining articles covers, among others, water resource allocation, measures for saving water, the responsibilities of the relevant entities, local governments and their bodies for the protection of water facilities, offences and penalties.