Abstract: Allocation of water rights is key to the registration of water resources and the foundation for implementing market allocation of water resources. Based on the theory of property rights economics, this study examines the property rights subjects and the allocation of reservoir’s water resources assets, reservoir project assets, and aquatic ecologic space assets. We construct a sector water rights allocation system that can describe the allocations results of the subjects and reservoir assets, and develop a method for determining the water resource use right quantity of the reservoir’s jus in re propria and jus in re aliena and a method of sector water right allocations. Results show that the incorporation of reservoir property rights and the asset allocation theory into this allocation system conforms to the basic principles of property rights economics, helping protect the legitimate rights and interests of all the investors in reservoir construction as a useful exploration to guide the registration of natural resources in China. The allocation of reservoir’s sector water right quantity is beneficial to promote the construction of a water resources property right system with well-defined power and responsibility, and it would also lay a basis for water administration departments to carry out the approval work of water intake permits for different sector users.

Key words: property right, sector water right, water use right quantity, reservoir assets evaluation, right in rem