[Objective] Attempts from the perspective of institutionalism to investigate the crux of trans district water pollution control performance

and provide suggestions to improve the basin water environment quality.[Methods] Through analyzing performance of relevant legal provisions of "Environmental Protection Law"

"Water Law"

"Water Pollution Prevention Law"

and water resources management system

and carried on the investigation to the water pollution of China.[Results] River basin management system and institutions arrangement

including regional segmentation

bull management

lack of coordination mechanism were insufficient to meet the need of solving sharp growth of waste and the increasing trans-regional water pollution incidents. The lack of environmental legal institutional execution caused vicious competition between local governments that involved in economic and political competition games

and eventually led to irrational equilibrium and the tragedy of the commons.[Conclusion] Improve the trans-district water pollution performance needs further perfecting the game design to improving institutions implementation

and adapt commitment action to improve the credibility and effectiveness of central government's policy

and through establishing accountability system

innovating basin property right and ecological compensation to improving control performance.