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An Analysis of Allowable Groundwater Drawdown and Pumpage from a Karst Aquifer to Prevent Sinkhole Collapses in the Pearl River Delta, China

  • WATER RESOURCES AND THE REGIME OF WATER BODIES
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Abstract

In China’s Pearl River Delta, numerous sinkholes caused by excessive groundwater pumping from a karst aquifer have opened. These sinkholes can cause wells and springs to dry up, dwellings to be damaged, and can facilitate the entry of pollutants into the aquifer. Controlling drawdown and pumpage to prevent sinkhole collapse is important for the aquifer’s protection and sustainability. This paper uses two approaches to obtain the critical drawdown and pumpage values to prevent sinkholes from opening: a field pumping experiment and hydraulic gradient tests. The results show that: (1) to prevent sinkhole collapse, the pumpage must be less than the allowable value determined by the seepage deformation method. (2) Water level decline is an important parameter that has to be considered to prevent sinkhole collapses. (3) Adjusting the intensity and mode of aquifer exploitation can increase allowable groundwater pumpage while preventing sinkhole development.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation (nos. 41877300, 41302255) and The Project of the China Geological Survey (the survey and assessment of the karst collapse in Pearl River Delta, no. 1212011220192), and the comprehensive geological survey project of karst collapse area in south Hunan and central Chongqing, no. DD20190266. We thank David Frishman, PhD for editing the English text of a draft of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment Studies, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, China

    Yan Meng

  2. Laboratory of Karst Collapse Prevention, Institute of Karst Geology, CAGS, 541004, Guilin, China

    Yan Meng, Zhuojun Li & Long Jia

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  1. Yan Meng
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  2. Zhuojun Li
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  3. Long Jia
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Correspondence to Yan Meng, Zhuojun Li or Long Jia.

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Yan Meng, Li, Z. & Jia, L. An Analysis of Allowable Groundwater Drawdown and Pumpage from a Karst Aquifer to Prevent Sinkhole Collapses in the Pearl River Delta, China. Water Resour 47, 530–536 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807820040089

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807820040089

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