The water temperature and quality of Yangtze River in Chongqing section were analyzed，and the performance of water source heat pump units in different sediment concentrations, turbidity and algae material conditions were tested experimentally. Water quality standards in particular surface water conditions in the Yangtze River region that adapt to energy-efficient heat pump were proposed .The experiment results have showed that the coefficient of performance heat pump fell by 3.73% to the greatest extent, the fouling resistance of cooling water in heat exchanger increased by up to 25.6% in different water conditions. When the sediment concentration was less than or equal to 100 g/m3 and the turbidity of the river water was less than or equal to 50 NTU, the performance of heat pump was better, which could be used as the suitable river water quality standards for river water source heat pump.