Abstract: Plentiful groundwater as one of the favourable natural resources in the development and construction is hosted in the Cretaceous strata in the Ordos Basin. Up to now, numerous studies have been conducted on these groundwater systems in the Basin. The present paper deals, in detail, with the effects and controls of the Cretaceous sedimentary formations on the generation, enrichment and preservation of the Cretaceous groundwater systems, and thus provides useful information for the development and utilization of the groundwater in the Ordos Basin.