The current standard is developed for the purpose of implementing the Law of the People's Republic of China on Environmental Protection, preventing and controlling environmental pollution, improving environmental quality, facilitating the development of environmental information, establishing & improving information- based environmental standard system, providing technical support to handling and exchange of environmental information and standardizing categories of surface water environmental function zones. The current standard specifies the categories and codes for surface water environment function zones. The targets of the current Codes for Water Environmental Function Zone Categories are surface waters such as rivers, lakes, canals, channels and reservoirs within the territory of the People's Republic of China, which have use functions. The current standard is applicable to the collection, exchange, processing and use of information about surface water environment as well as the management of the development of environmental information system. 　 The current standard is released for the first time in China.

Codes for Water Environmental Function Zone Categories(HJ 522—2009)