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An integrated model was developed, including hydrological, environmental, and economic aspects, to assess sustainability of water resources use, in the upper and middle parts of the Yellow River Basin, a semi-arid region in northwest China. A physically based hydrological model of SWAT was adapted to examine the water resource availability with appropriate resolution. Integrated with formulations of plant growth based on land use types, the model can calculate ecological and economic production under different water resources management plans. The present study focused on model description and test of hydrological simulation. In general, the testing of the adapted hydrological model indicated satisfactory results for the study area, indicating that the adapted hydrological model can be applicable for this integrated modeling. The hydrological simulations were able to reveal quantitatively the effect of water resources management on water balance component. Initial modeling results were presented to demonstrate the impact of water use on water balance and ecological production.