China is a country with a shortage of water resources, and the water resources have become an important factor of restricting China's social and economic sustainable development. This paper analyzed the water environment carrying capacity of Urumqi by using the principal component analysis method and an index system of water resources carrying capacity with 16 impact factors. The results show that there is a downtrend of water resources carrying capacity in Urumqi from 2004 to 2011, of which there is a slow decline from 2005 to 2007 and there is obvious decline from 2009 to 2011. The integrated evaluation index rose from 1.0273 to 2.6919. The water resources carrying capacity in Urumqi is influenced in the respect of the social economy and industrial production, population, and natural resources exploitation and utiliza - tion. Now, the utilization degree of water resources in Urumqi is very high, and the development potential is very small.