ABSTRACT
Water resources allocation is set according to rules, whether explicit or implicit, which assign priority to particular users or give equal weight proportional to demand. Water ethics, as a 'soft pathway' for water management, defines a set of moral values that guide human interactions with water resources and are reflected in designing the rules of allocating water. However, water ethics cannot be very helpful on a merely general and abstract level. This study from the Heihe River Basin (HRB) in northwest China explores the practical role of ethics in water allocation of this area. In the HRB, the exchange of surface water and groundwater is continuous and complex. The conjunctive use and management of surface water and groundwater resources is a key feature of water management of the basin. Agriculture in the middle HRB has for many decades consumed the majority of water, causing serious environmental deterioration in the lower basin.
