Abstract: Based on field investigation, remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) approaches of obtaining and processing water quality data and the corresponding socioeconomic data, this study took Futouhu lake watershed as an example, and analyzed the change of land use, population and domestic animals, and the corresponding spatiotemporal changes of nonpoint source pollution load for 2008 and 2015. The export coefficient model was used to identify the sources of the pollution load. The results showed that, the total nitrogen (TN) and the total phosphorus (TP) pollution loads in the area increased from 2 915 t and 178 t in 2008 to 3 252 t and 202 t in 2015, respectively. Urbanization resulted in a reduction of farm land area, and subsequently a decrease of contribution to the TN loads. However, the heavy use of fertilizers in farm land was still the main source of TN pollution. The contribution of residential area to nonpoint source pollution, in particular, to TP load increased significantly, due to urbanization. In addition, livestock breeding was making an increasingly significant contribution to nonpoint source pollution and should be paid sufficient attentions in future watershed management