Mining Scheme for Small Rivers near Water Sources—A Case Study of Liuan River in Linquan County, China

Abstract

During dry seasons or years, the runoff processes from small rivers influence the safety of riverside groundwater source fields. Water source exploitation has a considerable effect on river runoff. In this study, the riverside source field of the Liuan River in the Linquan County, Anhui Province, was analyzed. The effect of mining on the ecological flow of the river under river runoff conditions in different typical dry years was quantified. This was undertaken using numerical simulations of the groundwater flow to provide guidance for the establishment of mining schemes for riverside source fields. In 95% of typical dry years, the water supply of small rivers is insufficient. The improved 7Q10 method used to calculate the ecological flow in different dry years revealed that mining water had little effect on the ecological flow. However, during the pumping process, the groundwater level of the water source area decreased greatly. The establishment of riverside source fields can aid in reducing excessive development and use of deep groundwater. The planning, construction, and implementation of the “Divert water from the Yangtze River to the Huaihe River” project can effectively reduce the economic losses that have occurred due to severe drought in the local area.