Effects of Water Diversion Project on groundwater system and land
subsidence in Beijing, China
L. Zhu, H. Gong, Y. Ke, X. Li, B. Chen
College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University,
Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Geographic Information System, Beijing, China
Y. Chen
CSIRO Land and Water Laboratory, Canberra, Australia
S. Wang, G. Guo
Beijing Institute of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Beijing, China
H. Wang
Observation and Research Station of Groundwater and Land Subsidence in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei
Plain, MNR, China
P. Teatini
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering,
University of Padova, Padova, Italy
South-to-North Water Diversion Project Central Route (SNWDP-CR) is one of the largest human engineering
projects aimed at redistributing water resources, receiving a worldwide attention. It conveys water from
southern China to the Beijing Plain northward through a 1300-km long canal system and operated since
December 2014. Before this date, water supply to Beijing was mainly provided by means of aquifer
over-exploitation, causing a significant lowering of the piezometric levels and a huge land subsidence. After 3 years of
SNWDP-CR activity, it results of general interest to investigate if the implemented managed aquifer recharge and
the supposedly reduced aquifer exploitation have been already accompanied by a piezometric recovery and a
decrease of the subsidence rates. This is evaluated for the first time in this contribution, by integrating and
statistically analyzing a large dataset consisting of hydrogeologic information, piezometric records, and land
subsidence measurements carried out by Persistent Scatterer Interferometry and levelling. The results show that
a small (~3 m) to large (~10 m) raise of the piezometric levels has been recorded in the central portion of the
north Beijing plain with a certain decrease (up to 10 mm/yr) of the subsidence rates. Conversely, piezometric
drawdown and land subsidence has continued to increase in the remaining parts of the study area. Managed
aquifer recharge (MAR) carried out through infiltration ponds has produced a positive feedback, but at a local
scale only. Therefore, it will be necessary to wait a longer period to assess whether the SNWDP-CR will be able to
mitigate the hydrogeological hazards connected to groundwater overuse or only to counterbalance in part the
growing water demand of the Chinese capital.
