The use of river water as a heat source of a heat pump has the advantage in the performance compared to the use of atmospheric air because the temperature variation of river water over the year is relatively small. In this study, the performance of the heat pump system using river water as a heat source was numerically investigated. A simulation model for the 2-stage compression heat pump system was developed with each component model composed of compressors, heat exchangers, a flash tank and electronic expansion devices. The peformance of the heat pump system using river water was improved by $50\%$ compared to that using atmospheric air in winter conditions.