Effects of the South-North Water Diversion Project on the Water Dispatching Pattern and Ecological Environment in the Water Receiving Area: A Case Study of the Fuyang River Basin in Handan, China

Hao Fu,Xiaoliu Yang

doi:10.3390/w11040845

Abstract

Inter-basin water transfer projects are widely used in water-stressed areas. North China is facing severe imbalance between water demand and water supply. The South-to-North Water Diversion (SNWD) Project was built to transfer water from the Yangtze River Basin to the Hai River Basin. The Fuyang River Basin in the southern part of the Hai River Basin, passing through the Handan city, was chosen as the study area. To identify the effects of the SNWD Project on the water-receiving area, this paper used the decision support system AQUATOOL to simulate the water-dispatching scheme while using the water from the SNWD Project for domestic need in different level years. The results indicate that the SNWD Project provided 128.32 × 106 m3 of water in a wet year, 109.88 × 106 m3 in a normal year and 135.14 × 106 m3 in a dry year to this area. The added quantity of recycled water is 56.75 × 106 m3, 50.59 × 106 m3 and 57.52 × 106 m3, respectively. The water shortage in normal years was covered by the SNWD Project and the water shortage in dry years was reduced by 62.4%. Local environment was improved because of the SNWD Project, i.e., the SNWD water replaced and reduced the use of groundwater and increased the inflow to the Fuyang River and the Yongnian Wetland by increasing the recycled water. This research has demonstrated the SNWD Project has started to play a key role in securing water use and improving the environment in the water-receiving area since its completion in 2014.

Highlights

The imbalance between water demand and water supply may obstruct economic development and lead to environmental and ecological degradation, in particular underground water over-exploitation.The Hai River Basin in North China is facing such an unfavorable situation [1,2]
The results indicate that the South-to-North Water Diversion (SNWD) Project provided 128.32 × 106 m3 of water in a wet year, 109.88 × 106 m3 in a normal year and 135.14 × 106 m3 in a dry year to this area
In the response to the question of how the SNWD Project affecting the water use pattern in the water receiving area and benefiting the local ecological environment, this study gave the water-dispatching schemes in different level years considering the new water from the Project, and identified its effects on local ecological environment

Summary

Introduction

The imbalance between water demand and water supply may obstruct economic development and lead to environmental and ecological degradation, in particular underground water over-exploitation. The Hai River Basin in North China is facing such an unfavorable situation [1,2]. Basin covers an area of 320,041 km (3.3% of total area of China) and has a population of more than 134 million (10.2% of total population of China). The capital of China, and the other 25 cities are located in the Basin, contribute to about 14.1% of the GDP of the whole country. The average precipitation of the Basin is 535 mm. The water resources are 37.04 × 109 m3 in total and 276

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion