Chloride is used as the inert tracer in the chloride mass balance method (CMB) to discover the variances of groundwater recharge rates and to offer reliable information about environment and climate changes. The method is simple and valid gaining a wide range of applications, although the limits are also obvious. In this paper, research based on CMB and evolutions of the method were widely reviewed. Hypotheses and limits were discussed. Future works were emphasized. Dry depositions of chloride need to be observed, and spatial variance of the depositions should be studied well. Multi-tracers, soil properties and duplicated borehole should be employed to enhance cross validations. The need of studies on the budget of chloride and the related natural processes and anthropogenic activities was highlighted. Our work contributes to promote the applications and developments of the method in groundwater hydrology.