The study will identify and collect data on sources of industrial, agricultural and residential pollution for two months.
Last year, China's government was facing a grave situation, with several major rivers and lakes clogged by industrial waste.
China's environmental cleanup is compromised by more than two decades of rapid economic growth and a lack of technology especially.
Every province, autonomous region and municipality has set up a census office and will report to a main center staffed by officials from government departments.
Data will be reviewed multiple times before being put into a database and will be analyzed in the second half of 2008.
Findings will be examined and approved by mid-2009.