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Quaternary Aquifer of the North China Plain—Assessing and Achieving Groundwater Resource Sustainability

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Quaternary Aquifer of the North China Plain—Assessing and Achieving Groundwater Resource Sustainability Quaternary Aquifer of the North China Plain—assessing and achieving groundwater resource sustainability Stephen Foster · Hector Garduno · Richard Evans · Doug Olson · Yuan Tian · Weizhen Zhang · Zaisheng Han Abstract The Quaternary Aquifer of the North China Rsum L’aquifre Quaternaire de la Plaine du Nord de Plain is one of the world’s largest aquifer systems and la Chine est l’un des plus grands systmes aquifres du supports an enormous exploitation of groundwater, which monde; il permet une exploitation norme d’eau souter- has reaped large socio-economic benefits in terms of grain raine, qui a permis des trs importants bnfices socio- production, farming employment and rural poverty alle- conomiques en terme de production de crales, d’em- viation, together with urban and industrial water-supply plois ruraux et de rduction de la pauvret rurale, en provision. Both population and economic activity have mÞme temps que l’approvisionnement en eau potable et grown markedly in the past 25 years. Much of this has pour l’industrie. La population comme l’activit cono- been heavily dependent upon groundwater resource mique ont remarquablement augment au cours de ces 25 development, which has encountered increasing difficul- dernires annes. Elles ont t sous la forte dpendance ties in recent years primarily as a result of aquifer du dveloppement de la ressource en eau souterraine, qui depletion and related phenomena. This paper focuses a rencontr des difficults croissantes ces dernires upon the hydrogeologic and socio-economic diagnosis of annes, du fait du rabattement de l’aquifre et des these groundwater resource issues, and identifies strate- phnomnes associs. Cet article est consacr aux diag- gies to improve groundwater resource sustainability. nostiques hydrogologique et socio-conomique des retombes de cette ressource en eau souterraine; il identifie les stratgies pour amliorer la prennit des ressources en eau souterraine. Received: 1 October 2003 / Accepted: 15 October 2003 Published online: 12 December 2003 Resumen El acufero cuaternario de la Llanura Septen- trional de China es uno de los mayores sistemas acuferos Springer-Verlag 2003 del mundo y soporta una enorme explotacin de su agua subterrnea, las cuales han originado grandes beneficios S. Foster ()) socioeconmicos en trminos de produccin de grano, World Bank-Groundwater Management Advisory Team empleo en agricultura y mitigacin de la pobreza rural, (GW-MATE) Director, Oxford, UK adems de proveer agua para abastecimiento urbano e H. Garduno industria. Tanto la poblacin como la actividad econ- Member World Bank–GW-MATE, mica han crecido mucho en los fflltimos 25 aæos con una Water Resources Planning & Institutions Consultant, gran dependencia de las aguas subterrneas, que ha Mexico DF, Mexico encontrado dificultades recientes por la explotacin R. Evans intensiva del acufero y fenmenos relacionados. Este Member World Bank–GW-MATE, artculo se centra en la diagnosis hidrogeolgica y Sinclair Knight Merz Pty Ltd, Armadale, Victoria, Australia socioeconmica de los problemas relacionados con las D. Olson aguas subterrneas e identifica estrategias para mejorar la World Bank–East Asia & Pacific Region, sustentabilidad de este recurco. Washington, DC, USA Y. Tian Introduction North China College of Hydraulics & Hydropower, Harbin, China W. Zhang Importance of Groundwater Resources Wuhan University of Hydraulic Engineering, Wuhan, China A Quaternary aquifer occupies extensive tracts of the Hai Z. Han River basin, and of the catchments of the adjacent Huai China Geological Survey, Beijing, China and Huang (Yellow) river systems and beyond. This large area is amongst the most densely inhabited and most Present address: S. Foster, c/o HR-Wallingford, developed parts of China, and comprises a number of Howbery Park, Wallingford, Oxford, OX10-8BA, UK extensive plains (known collectively as the North China Hydrogeology Journal (2004) 12:81–93 DOI 10.1007/s10040-003-0300-6 82 Fig. 1 Sketch map of the North China Plain showing the distri- bution of areas exhibiting marked aquifer depletion (based on data provided by the Min- istry of Geology and Mineral Resources/Ministry of Land Resources, MGMR/MLR) Plain). This paper relates primarily to the Hai River basin, nary aquifer system (Institute of Hydrogeology & Engi- including Beijing and Tianjin municipalities together with neering Geology 1979; Evans and Han 1999) (Fig. 2): most of Hebei and small parts of Shangdong and Henan provinces. The area has a total population in excess of – the gently sloping piedmont plain and associated major 200 million and is both the predominant national centre of alluvial fans, wheat and maize production (Crook 1999) and an – the main alluvial plain (Heilongang), with many extremely important industrial region. abandoned channels of the Hai River and its tributaries, Both population and economic activity have grown and the lower Huai and lower Huang rivers (the silted markedly in the past 25 years, and much of this bed of the latter now actually forming the water-divide development has been heavily dependent upon ground- between the Hai and Huai drainage systems), and water resources. An estimated water supply of – the coastal plain strip around the margin of the Bohai 27,000 Mm3/year (Mm3=one million cubic meters) in Sea. the Hai He basin was derived from wells and boreholes in 1988 (MWR 1992). This enormous exploitation of The following general observations can be made about groundwater has reaped large socio-economic benefits, the hydrogeology of the complex Quaternary aquifer in terms of grain production, farming employment, system of the North China Plain (Figs. 1 and 2), and poverty alleviation, potable and industrial water supply, which are relevant to the evaluation of its groundwater but it has encountered increasing difficulties (Fig. 1) in resources: the past 10 years or so (Hai River Basin Resources Commission 1997; Yellow River Basin Resources Com- – hydraulic conductivity (permeability) and specific mission 1997). yield (storativity) increase in the direction of the escarpment bounding the aquifer system to the west and north, Prevailing Hydrogeological Conditions – the subsurface infiltration capacity and natural re- This semi-arid area of north-eastern China is character- charge rates (from excess rainfall and river flow) also ised by cold, dry winters (December–March) and hot, tend to increase in the same direction, humid summers (July–September), and comprises three – at some distance from the escarpment, sufficiently very distinct hydrogeological settings within the Quater- consistent and thick aquitards are present to separate the aquifer into layers, with the groundwater of the Hydrogeology Journal (2004) 12:81–93 DOI 10.1007/s10040-003-0300-6 83 Fig. 2 Cross section of the North China Plain showing the general hydrogeological struc- ture deeper fresh-water aquifer demonstrating hydraulical- These issues are to some degree interlinked but do not ly-confined behaviour, affect the three main hydrogeological settings equally – below most of the Heilongang and coastal strip, the (Table 1) and, to advance their discussion, it is essential to sequence includes an overlying brackish-water aquifer make a clear distinction in this regard. The objective of of large geographical extension, and the latter area this paper is to concentrate upon the diagnosis and may also have localised intrusions of more recent and/ mitigation of these issues (Table 2). However, it is or modern seawater (Xue et al. 2000), – this brackish-water aquifer is locally overlain by thin lenses of fresher groundwater, associated with existing Table 2 Summary of main mitigation options for groundwater and historic surface-water channels and major irriga- resource depletion on the North China Plain tion canals. Option Groundwater resource depletion Shallow Deep Identification of Resource Issues aquifer aquifer The principal concerns over the status of groundwater resources in north-eastern China fall mainly into the Agricultural water savings +++a ++ Agriculture crop changesb ++ ++ following key issues: Partial ban on cereal crop irrigation ++ +++ Urban and industrial water savings ++ +++ – the falling groundwater table in the shallow fresh- Aquifer artificial rechargec ++ o Utilisation of wastewaterd ++ o water aquifer, e – declining groundwater levels in the deep fresh-water Utilisation of brackish water o+ aquifer, a +++, major potential; ++, good potential; +, minor potential; o, not – aquifer salinisation as a result of inadequately con- important b trolled pumping (Evans and Han 1999), and Only currently viable near to major cities where market exists c In many instances will need more reliable source of surface water – aquifer pollution from uncontrolled urban and indus- than major flood events and this will require surface engineering trial wastewater discharge (Foster and Lawrence measures 1995). d Requires pilot schemes to adapt techniques to local conditions e Needs experimental sites to develop techniques Table 1 Key groundwater is- Issue Hydrogeological setting sues on the North China plain according to hydrogeological Piedmont Flood Coastal setting plain plain plain Falling water-table of shallow fresh-water aquifer +++a +++ + Depletion of deep fresh-water aquifer ob +++ ++ Risk of shallow aquifer and/or soil salinisation o ++ +++ Groundwater pollution from urban and industrial wastewater +++ + o a +++, very important; ++, important; +, minor importance; o, not important b Effects of excessive abstraction may be reflected
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