Abstract: The river chief system is an important measure for China to improve the water governance system and promote the construction of ecological civilization.This study adopted the public value theory as the research perspective, constructed an analysis framework based on the Moore value strategy triangle model, and discussed the environmental governance of the river chief water environment through field research in Jingmen City, Hubei Province.From the 3 dimensions of public value, support, and operational ability, analysis has found that there are several hindrance factors, namely, public value selection bias and trust loss, institutional defects and lack of "civilian" energy, and insufficient resource integration and collaborative action capabilities.To solve the practical problems in the governance of the river chief system and realize the long-term effectiveness, stability, and survival of the river chief system, we should adhere to the mission as a priority and pursue the maximization of public value set; optimize institutional design and expand public support; through digital empowerment, the ability of resource integration and collaborative governance is improved as a whole, to realize the "river chief system" and promote "river governance for long".