This dataset contains the results of both P-wave velocity and Acoustical Emission activity measurements of dry and saturated sandstone, collected from the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) area, under uniaxial loading to investigate the stress-induced damage evolution and examine the effect of water on it. Chemical analyses of the sandstone soaking water and microstructural observations were also conducted to study the chemical effects of distilled water on the microstructure of sandstone.All the uniaxial compression tests were performed on the large-volume servo-controlled Material Testing System (MTS 815.03). Axial strain was continuously measured by two extensometers and circumferential strain by a chain strain gauge. An AE system was integrated with MTS loading system including acoustic detectors and analysis softwares. There were four miniature piezoceramic transducers (PZTs) mounted on sample surface for continuous recording of AE outputs. Transducer signals were amplified by 40 dB using Physical Acoustic Corporation (PAC) preamplifiers. The threshold amplitude was also set to be 40 dB. AE signals were stored in an 18-channel transient recording system at 40 MHz sampling rate. The resonant frequency of the piezoelectric sensors is 2500 kHz.