The per capita water resources of Huaihe River Basin are 475 cubic meters, which is less than one quarter of the national per capita water resources (2100 m³), and the quality of groundwater is poor. The contradiction between supply and demand of water resources is prominent, which seriously restricts the high-quality development of regional social economy. Based on the theory of water cycle, the study analyzes the groundwater resources, influencing factors, sustainable development and utilization potential in Huaihe River Basin by using the data of multi-stage groundwater resources survey. The results as follows:(1) The water circulation process in Huaihe River Basin is mainly affected by artificial mining, which leads to the continuous decline of groundwater level and the weakening of effective evaporation; The natural resources of groundwater in Huaihe River Basin are 32.697 billion m³ per year; (2) The quality of groundwater in the basin is generally average, and the proportion of Type Ⅰ-Ⅲ water in pore groundwater is less than 30%; At the same time, the water quality is deteriorating compared with the historical data; (3) The exploitation potential characteristics of shallow groundwater in the basin can be summarized as the south is greater than the north and the mountain area is greater than the plain; Jiangsu and Anhui is relatively larger in the Huaihe River Basin; On the contrary, the shallow groundwater in some areas of Eastern Henan and southwestern Shandong has been over exploited and has no potential for development and utilization; Finally, the surplus of shallow groundwater in other areas is small; (4) The results provide a geological basis for the scientific development and utilization of regional groundwater resources.