Abstract: Many lakes exist and punctuate the channel in the Hetao Irrigation District in Inner Mongolia,which is convenient for drip irrigation using lake water.Managing the drip irrigation with lake water is complex,involving the water source selection,the water recharge,regulation,water supply,water storage,purification of water,and many other considerations.The results showed that there are 98 lakes which occupy 98.4×102 hm2 in area and could be used for drip irrigation in Spring with a the water storage capacity of 1.66×108 m3.The lake water is alkaline with excessive pH values,total salt levels,chloride and hardness,with the salinity taking a leading role in determining water suitability for irrigation.The water from the Yellow River and ice diversion are the effective supply sources for the drip irrigation along with lake water,which can together make the water storage and regulation of lake water up to 1.97×108 m3 while keeping existing functions unchanged.Making good use of the regulation and purification abilities of lake water from the Yellow River is the key for realizing the water quality purification with low cost and the sustainable development of drip irrigation in this region.

Key words: Hetao Irrigation District;Natural lake;Drip irrigation;Storage capacity;Development strategy