Abstract:
Yinchuan City is a water-scarce city in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. Reclaimed water, as a potential water source to resolve the contradiction between water supply and demand, possesses both resource and economic value. To accurately identify the key constraints in the utilization of reclaimed water, this study constructs a four-element evaluation system encompassing water resources, economy, environment, and reclaimed water. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the entropy weight method are combined to determine the indicator weights. Based on a coupling coordination degree model, the comprehensive development level and the coupling coordinated development level of Yinchuan's Water-Economy-Environment-Reclaimed water (WEER) system are evaluated. The grey correlation model is used to identify the main factors influencing the coupling coordination degree of the WEER system. The results indicate that from 2019 to 2023, the comprehensive development level index of Yinchuan's WEER system increased from 0.23 to 0.86, reaching a mature development stage, although certain regional differences existed among its districts and counties(cities). The overall coupling coordination degree rose from 0.45 to 0.92, achieving high-quality coordination. Except for Helan County, all other districts and counties(cities) under Yinchuan's jurisdiction reached good coordination. The grey correlation model reveals that the main influencing factors for the coupling coordination degree of Yinchuan's WEER system are the regional runoff coefficient, water consumption per unit of GDP, proportion of water used for industrial production, water yield per unit area, ratio of public fiscal budget revenue to GDP, economic density, reclaimed water utilization per unit of GDP, reclaimed water reuse rate, and the runoff-to-sewage ratio. Their correlation degrees with the coupling coordination degree are 0.81, 0.87, 0.90, 0.88, 0.87, 0.87, 0.88, 0.84, and 0.88, respectively. Yinchuan City needs to enhance the overall coordinated development level of the WEER system by optimizing its water use structure, promoting the construction of a water-conserving society, and improving the sewage collection and treatment systems. This research can provide a scientific basis for the optimal allocation and efficient utilization of reclaimed water in Yinchuan City.