The evaluation index system and comprehensive assessment model for water governance effectiveness were constructed from the perspective of coordinated governance of water resources,water environment,and water ecology, and the validity of this index system and model was verified by clarifying the evolution characteristics of China’s water governance effectiveness and measuring the contribution of each key factor to water governance effectiveness. The research found that from 1980 to 2022, China’s water governance effectiveness experienced three periods:slow improvement, rapid improvement, and a slowdown in the growth rate. The characteristics of each period were distinct. In the first period,the ability for intensive utilization increased relatively rapidly, while ecological restoration and environmental protection measures were insufficient. In the second period,the security guarantee ability improved rapidly and ranked first,while the abilities for intensive utilization and environmental protection also significantly improved,but the ecological restoration ability improved slowly. In the third period, water resources, water environment,and water ecology governance achieved balanced development, and the coordination level shifted from imbalance to high-quality coordination. However,there were still problems such as control of agricultural water use, pollution control, and ecological restoration.