Abstract: In order to investigate heavy metal pollution and its potential ecological risk in sediments of lake wetlands of the Yellow River Valleys of Ningxia, concentration and accumulation of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr、Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) in lake wetlands of the Yellow River Valleys of Ningxia were investigated. The highest values for heavy metals concentrations in sediments before the modern industrialization of the world and the environmental background values of lake wetlands of the Yellow River Valleys of Ningxia were used to analyze the accumulation coefficient and potential ecological risk (PER) coefficients for heavy metal. The PER index for each sample location was also discussed. The method for evaluating PER index presented by Lars Hankanson was applied to assess the ecological risk. The results showed that when the highest values for heavy metals concentrations in sediments before the modern industrialization of the world were taken as references, the accumulation order for those heavy metals was Cr>Pb>Zn>Cu>As>Cd>Hg, the potential risk order of elements was Cd>As>Hg>Pb>Cu>Cr>Zn. Hequan Lake was under the highest potential risk, Qingtongxia wetland ranked the second, while the others had relatively small risk. But, overall, the potential ecological risk of investigated lake wetlands in the Yellow River Valleys of Ningxia was light, at least not very serious.