This project was initiated in late 2006 in dialogue between Blacksmith Institute and the Yunnan Environmental Protection Bureau. The key problem identified was the contamination of local water supplies, high in the headwaters of major river systems, by small abandoned metal mines and processing facilities. The local pollution problems are severe and, because heavy metals do not degrade in the environment, erosion of these materials adds to the cumulative pollution load on the river system. The objective was to develop practical approaches for a typical case, in collaboration with the Yunnan and local EPBs, which would be a model for other mountain villages with similar problems. The project was structured to provide direction and momentum for a wider effort by the Province to address mining pollution and water contamination challenges. The focus of the work is on health impact for humans, since these sites discharge toxic metal contamination into local waterways that are sources of drinking water for local populations.

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China Chongqing Green Volunteer's Union (CCGVU) is an environmental NGO dedicated to environmental protection and sustainable development in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in central China's Sichuan province. This project's aim was to prevent hazardous solid waste pollution and maintain water quality in the Three Gorges region of the Yangtze River near Chongqing. The Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydro-electric project, was commenced in 1993, and by the time it is completed in 2009, over 1.1 million people will have been resettled and 115 towns and villages submerged. Over 16 million tons of solid waste is dumped in the Three Gorges area every year. If not controlled and treated, almost 3 million tons of this waste will be submerged once flooding of the area begins in mid-2003, causing serious water pollution and possibly affecting the operation of the dam's power station.

The prairie of the East Ujumchin Banner in Inner Mongolia is being threatened by illegal mining of zinc-iron ores. The wastewater and waste slag pollution created by mining operations pose a threat not only to the local ecosystem, but to the livelihoods of local herdsmen and members of a local Production Collectivity Team as well. Decimation of the prairie's vegetation due to both natural and human causes is leading to desertification and fierce sandstorms in north China.

Guiyu is a cluster of five villages in the Guangdong province in southeast China. It has gained notoriety as a dumping ground for discarded computer hardware. Computer components are melted to extract precious metals such as gold and platinum and leftover waste burned or dumped openly or in the Lianjiang River. Environmentalists estimate there to be 2,500 computer waste businesses in the region employing as many as 100,000 people.

Huaxi town is located in the southwestern section of Dongyang City. Since 2001, the Huaxi government has been leasing land for the Huaxi Industrial Park spread over 1,000 hectares with thirteen chemical industries. On April 1, 2005, the Dongyang Municipal Government ordered the closure of these thirteen industries as a result of intense public protest over pollution stemming from them. There are reports of drums of chemicals being abandoned inside the factory premises and untreated wastewater being covered with concrete slabs.

This project was initiated in late 2006 in dialogue between Blacksmith Institute and the Yunnan Environmental Protection Bureau. The key problem identified was the contamination of local water supplies, high in the headwaters of major river systems, by small abandoned metal mines and processing facilities. The local pollution problems are severe and, because heavy metals do not degrade in the environment, erosion of these materials adds to the cumulative pollution load on the river system. The objective was to develop practical approaches for a typical case, in collaboration with the Yunnan and local EPBs, which would be a model for other mountain villages with similar problems. The project was structured to provide direction and momentum for a wider effort by the Province to address mining pollution and water contamination challenges.

The focus of the work is on health impact for humans, since these sites discharge toxic metal contamination into local waterways that are sources of drinking water for local populations.

The Lake Dianchi basin is the most urbanized part of the southern Chinese province of Yunnan. The area has a population of 2.5 million and accounts for 30% of Yunnan's GDP. Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, has a population of 1.8 million and lies within the basin. There are over 100 small towns in the Kunming area that are growing rapidly, resulting in deterioration of water quality, ecological degradation, growth of algae, and accelerated eutrophication of Lake Dianchi. Both central and provincial governments realize that it is urgent to prevent and control water pollution so as to maintain economic development that is environmentally sustainable. Yunnan Province and Kunming Municipality have developed plans for the prevention and control of pollution in the Lake Dianchi Watershed, but relatively little has been done to control pollution in the rural areas surrounding Kunming. Controlling waste and pollution in towns will directly impact pollution in the lake, as villages and townships are main sources of non-point pollution.