During Sui, Tang and Song dynasties, it formed part of the Grand Canal, and was vital for transporting food to the empire's capitals.

This stretch of the canal was abandoned in late Northern Song period due to excessive silting from the Yellow River.

[1] In late Yuan dynasty, the government conducted a series of major hydrological projects in the area in response to serious flooding of the Yellow River.

The old canal was dredged and served as a channel for the flood water to flow into the Huai.

The river was named after Jia Lu (贾鲁), chief engineer of the project.