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Assessment of groundwater vulnerability in the Yinchuan Plain, Northwest China using OREADIC

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Abstract

Groundwater vulnerability assessments provide a measure of the sensitivity of groundwater quality to an imposed contaminant load and are globally recognized as an essential element of all aquifer management and protection plans. In this paper, the vulnerability of groundwaters underlying the Yinchuan Plain of Northwest China is determined using OREADIC, a GIS-based assessment tool that incorporates the key characteristics of the universally popular DRASTIC approach to vulnerability assessment but has been modified to consider important additional hydrogeological factors that are specific to the region. The results show that areas of high vulnerability are distributed mainly around Qingtongxia City, Wuzhong City, Lingwu City, and Yongning County and are associated with high rates of aquifer recharge, shallow depths to the water table, and highly permeable aquifer materials. The presence of elevated NO −3 in the high vulnerability areas endorses the OREADIC approach. The vulnerability maps developed in this study have become valuable tools for environmental planning in the region and will be used for predictive management of the groundwater resource.

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Acknowledgements

The research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40772160) and the China Geological Survey project (200310400014). The authors would like to express their sincere appreciation to senior engineer Zhang Li, Wu Xuehua, Zhang Qin, Yu Dongmei and Liu Huimin for their assistance with the study. Finally, we are highly appreciating the anonymous reviewers and the editor whose valuable comments and suggestions have greatly improved the quality of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang’an University, 126 Yanta Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710054, China

    Hui Qian, Peiyue Li, Chao Yang & Xuedi Zhang

  2. Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, M1C1A4, Canada

    Ken W. F. Howard

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  1. Hui Qian
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  2. Peiyue Li
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  4. Chao Yang
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Correspondence to Peiyue Li.

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Qian, H., Li, P., Howard, K.W.F. et al. Assessment of groundwater vulnerability in the Yinchuan Plain, Northwest China using OREADIC. Environ Monit Assess 184, 3613–3628 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2211-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2211-7

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