Abstract: 【Objective】The Gonghe Basin is located in a semiarid zone of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is a typical alpine sandy region. It is one of the most severely desertified areas of Qinghai Province. The Salix cheilophila is mainly used in the restoration of degraded grassland in the interdune areas of the Gonghe Basin. The stability of S. cheilophila plantations is dependent on sustainable management. Our objective was to evaluate whether the long-term stability of S. cheilophila plantations could be maintained in the semiarid zone by analyzing their water sources during summer. 【Method】The water sources of different S. cheilophila plantations of different ages were studied through stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope techniques.The stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of S. cheilophila xylem water were compared with those of soil water at different depths(25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200 cm)and ground water to determine the main water source for S. cheilophila plantations of different ages in July. 【Result】The S. cheilophila plantations of different ages mostly used different depths of soil water or ground water. At two years of age, the S. cheilophila plantations mainly used 25 cm soil water, which accounted for 75.5% of its total water source. At ten years of age, the S. cheilophila plantation mainly used 25-75 cm soil water and ground water, which accounted 73.9% to its total water source. At twenty years of age, the S. cheilophila plantation mainly used 50-75 cm soil water and ground water, which accounted 67.7% of its total water source. At thirty years of age, the S. cheilophila plantation mainly used 25 cm soil water and ground water, which accounted 69.6% to its total water source, respectively. With the increase in plantation age, the dependence of the S. cheilophila plantations on ground water increased, particularly from 10 years to 30 years of age. 【Conclusion】 The water use strategy of the S. cheilophila plantations adjusted to adapt to the semiarid climate. The long-term stability of the plantations was maintained by use of stable ground water or deep soil water in the Gonghe Basin. It is suggested that the S. cheilophila could be widely used in the restoration of degraded alpine sandy regions and other semiarid zone.