Prominent shortcomings in sewage pipe networks, limited fiscal funds, low influent concentrations, and low treatment efficiency are difficult issues plaguing local sewage treatment. Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, adheres to precise pollution control, scientific pollution control, and law-based pollution control, and is fully committed to protecting the city's clear waters.

　　Recently, Xiangtan City held a signing ceremony for performance-based payment for sewage treatment. The Xiangtan Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau signed on-site contracts with the city's Hedong No. 2 and No. 3 Sewage Treatment Plants to implement payment for sewage treatment fees calculated based on the pollutant concentration reduction rate, changing "payment by volume" to "payment by performance" and embarking on a path of sewage treatment with "performance" as the goal.

　　Using "performance" to assess quality. The quality of pipe network construction and the level of operation and maintenance management directly affect the influent concentration of sewage. To ensure the quality of pipe network projects and the level of operation and maintenance management and to increase influent concentration, Xiangtan City has established an assessment mechanism for pipe network project quality and operation and maintenance management level with influent concentration as the core indicator. The assessment results serve as an important basis for the allocation of project funds and operation and maintenance costs, further improving pipe network project quality and operation and maintenance management level.

　　Using "performance" to identify problems. The symptoms of sewage treatment appear at the plants, but the root cause lies in the pipe networks. How can problems such as incomplete pipe networks, mixed and misconnected pipes, and quality defects be identified? The most effective method is monitoring and source tracing. That is, based on the influent concentration of sewage at the end of the pipe network, dynamically monitor the water volume, water quality, and water level of each sewage pipe network and each sewage partition, conduct source tracing analysis, identify problems, and form a list of problems and measures. Since the launch of the campaign to increase influent concentration at sewage treatment plants, a total of 2,353 drainage units have been delineated and more than 2,200 problems have been investigated.

　　Using "performance" to determine strategies. Adhering to the orientation of problems, goals, and results, Xiangtan City coordinates the policy, funding, and other advantages of four aspects—water body treatment, quality and efficiency improvement, drainage and waterlogging prevention, and sponge city development—scientifically prepares special plans and schemes such as "one canal, one policy" and "one plant, one policy," and implements rainwater and sewage separation renovation in municipal roads and residential communities. In accordance with "one plant, one policy," facilities such as sewage treatment plants, pipe networks, and pumping stations are bundled into integrated plant-network project packages, and project service units are determined through whole-process consulting and EPC bidding for unified survey, design, construction, and acceptance. To date, a total of 360.8 kilometers of pipe networks have been renovated, and 216,000 cubic meters of silt have been cleared; 11 sewage pumping stations have been built, and rainwater and sewage separation renovation has been completed in 954 residential communities and internal areas of enterprises and institutions. Relying on state-owned platform enterprises, a water affairs company has been established to transfer and integrate facilities such as sewage treatment plants, pipe networks, and pumping stations in an organized and debt-assuming manner, achieving integrated plant-network asset consolidation and integrated plant-network operation and maintenance.

　　Using "performance" to allocate funds. Xiangtan City actively seeks various types of funding, striving for more than 2 billion yuan in local special bond funds and 50 million yuan in environmental protection funds and flood control and drainage funds; it has guided enterprises and institutions to raise approximately 300 million yuan in self-funded resources, solving the difficult problem of insufficient funds for sewage treatment. At the same time, performance-based payment promotes cost reduction and efficiency improvement in sewage treatment and saves sewage treatment fees.

　　Using "performance" to hold parties accountable. Based on analysis of influent concentration indicator monitoring data, the reasons for low or abnormal changes in sewage concentration are identified, and the performance of duties by construction, management, maintenance, and other responsible entities is traced backward, while violations such as damaging facilities, illegal discharge, and covert discharge of sewage are investigated backward, further consolidating territorial primary responsibilities and departmental regulatory responsibilities. A water body maintenance and management mechanism with territorial governments as the main body has been established. For key river basins such as Tangxing Bridge and Ailao Canal, the territorial governments have respectively formulated the "Work Plan for Daily Management and Control of Channels in the Tangxing Bridge Basin" and the "Work Plan for Daily Management and Maintenance of Ailao Canal in Yuetang District." The responsibilities of territorial governments and relevant departments such as housing and urban-rural development, urban management, and water resources in sewage treatment work have been implemented, and assessments are conducted based on the effectiveness of duty performance.