The usage and quality of water for living were investigated in northeastern China. Waterworks were constructed in the major cities of the region. Although a water shortage in northern China is serious, Haerbin and Dandong have comparatively abundant water resources. The value of EC and the concentration of Ca^+^2 were low in the piped water in these cities. In Shenyang and Dalian the piped water showed total hardness of 80-170 mg/L. Therefore, groundwater is used as raw water. Since water treatment is not utilized for drinking water in China, contamination of raw water or soil influences water quality directly. The existence of NO_2^-, NH_4^+ and K^+ in all the samples of the region have suggested raw water was polluted with chemical fertilizer and human waste
