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Land subsidence caused by groundwater exploitation in the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, China

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Abstract

Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain in northern Zhejiang Province, located between the Yangtze and Qiantang Rivers, is one of the regions where economic development is most rapid in China. Geological and hydrogeological surveys reveal a multi-layered aquifer system beneath the plain, which includes Holocene phreatic water layers and Pleistocene confined aquifers. Based on the historical records of groundwater extraction, groundwater levels, and ground settlement from 1964 to 2000, it is shown that ground subsidence has resulted from the continuously increasing extraction of groundwater from deep confined aquifers, and that the evolution of land subsidence can be characterized by a multifractal model. Based on this model, a set of empirical power-law relations have been established between: the land subsidence velocity and the annual groundwater extraction; groundwater drawdown and the annual land subsidence velocity; and the amount of land subsidence and the associated area of land. A set of indices are proposed for evaluating dynamic evolution of groundwater exploitation and land subsidence for the Hang-Jia-Hu Plain, from which the critical degree of evolution of land subsidence in the near future can be estimated using data on groundwater exploitation and water level changes.

Résumé

La plaine de Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou, située au Nord de la Province de Zhejiang, entre les rivières Yangtze et Qiantang, constitue l’une des régions de Chine où le développement économique est le plus rapide. Les reconnaissances géologiques et hydrogéologiques indiquent l’existence d’un système aquifère multicouche sous la Plaine, qui comprend les nappes phréatiques de l’Holocène et les aquifères captifs du Pléistocène. Les chroniques de prélèvements en eau souterraine, de niveaux piézométriques et de tassement des sols de 1964 à 2000 permettent de démontrer que les affaissements résultent de l’exploitation croissante des aquifères captifs profonds, et que leur évolution peut être caractérisée par un modèle multifractal. Un ensemble de fonctions puissance empiriques a été établi sur la base de ce modèle, entre la vitesse d'affaissement et les prélèvements en eau souterraine, entre les rabattements et la vitesse annuelle d’affaissement, et entre l’affaissement total et la surface concernée. Une série d’indices est proposée pour évaluer l’évolution des prélèvements en eau souterraine et des affaissements sur la Plaine de Hang-Jia-Hu. Ils permettent d’estimer le niveau critique d’évolution des affaissements à court terme, à partir des données de prélèvements en eau souterraine et de suivi des niveaux piézométriques.

Resumen

La Planicie Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou ubicada al norte de la Provincia Zhejiang y que se localiza entre los ríos Yangtze y Qiantang es una de las regiones donde el desarrollo económico es más rápido en China. Los levantamientos geológicos e hidrogeológicos muestran un sistema de acuíferos de varias capas que subyace la Planicie el cual incluye capas acuáticas freáticas Holocénicas y acuíferos confinados Pleistocénicos. En base a registros históricos de explotación de agua subterránea, niveles de agua subterránea, e información sobre colonización de 1964 a 2000 se muestra que la subsidencia del terreno ha sido ocasionada por la continua y ascendente extracción de agua subterránea en acuíferos confinados profundos, y que la evolución del hundimiento del terreno puede caracterizarse mediante un modelo multifractal. En base a este modelo se han establecido un conjunto de relaciones empíricas de potencia-ley entre: la velocidad de subsidencia del terreno y la extracción anual de agua subterránea; descenso de agua subterránea y velocidad anual de subsidencia del terreno; y la cantidad de hundimiento del terreno y el área asociada del terreno. Se ha propuesto un grupo de índices para evaluar la evolución dinámica de la explotación de aguas subterráneas y el hundimiento del terreno en el futuro cercano para la Planicie Hang–Jia–Hu. Los índices elaborados permiten estimar, usando datos de explotación de agua subterránea y cambios en niveles de agua, el grado crítico de evolución de subsidencia del terreno en el futuro cercano.

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Notes

  1. In the Yellow Sea height system

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Hydrogeology Journal reviewers for their valuable comments, which have improved the report significantly. We also particularly thank Dr. Zhiming Lu of Los Alamos National Laboratory for his thorough and careful correction of an early draft of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang Information Center of Land and Resources, Tiyuchang Road 498, Hangzhou, 310007, China

    Changjiang Li & Tuhua Ma

  2. Zhejiang Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310007, China

    Xiaoming Tang

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  1. Changjiang Li
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Correspondence to Changjiang Li.

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Li, C., Tang, X. & Ma, T. Land subsidence caused by groundwater exploitation in the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, China. Hydrogeol J 14, 1652–1665 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-006-0092-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-006-0092-6

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