With the rapid development of coal industry, contradictions between water pollution of coal cities and sustainable development of cities and health of residents become increasingly prominent. In this paper we study Xinhianhe River, an urban river in Suzhou, a coal city in Anhui Province. Twenty water samples were collected from this river in August 2019. The total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) of these samples were detected, and water quality identification method and comprehensive pollution index were adopted to assess the water quality of Xinbianhe River. The results showed that, among major pollution factors, the concentration indexes of TP and NH3-N are better than those of Level III water; the average concentration of COD is 33.48 mg/L, ranging between Level III and inferior Level V categories; the average concentration of TN is 4.823 mg/L, belonging to inferior Level V category; and the overall water quality of Xinbianhe River belongs to Level IV category. Particularly, the pollution indexes of sampling sites X8, X9, X10, X19 and X20 are higher, which need attentions from relevant government agencies. The overall water quality of Xinbianhe doesn’t reach an eutrophication level, but it is likely to reach eutrophication in the future.