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›› 2015, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (2): 359-367.

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Simulation and prediction on variations of groundwater in mining area based on FEFLOW and GIS

LI  Cai-mei1,YANG  Yong-gang2,3,QIN  Zuo-dong1,2,ZOU  Song-bing4,LI  Jin-chang2   

  1. (1    Academy of Environment and Resource,Shanxi University,Taiyuan  030006,Shanxi,China;    2    Institute of Loess Plateau,Shanxi University,Taiyuan  030006,Shanxi,China;    3    Research center for Eco-Environmental Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing  100085,China;
    4    Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou  730000,Gansu,China)
  • Received:2014-07-12 Revised:2014-11-24 Online:2015-03-25

Abstract: Research on variations of groundwater in mining area is a major demand problem to be solved,also is one of the main research topics of ecological environment in Shanxi. Due to interference of mining activities on groundwater system,which caused water level decline sharply and water pollution problems seriously,some ecological environment problems such as the spring water cutoff and surface collapse has been appearing in recent years,with its harmfulness degree growing gradually as well as the influence scope expanding increasingly. In view of water resources shortage and water environment deterioration in Shanxi mining area,the authors in this paper analyzed the natural conditions including meteorology,hydrology,geomorphology,and identified the social economy conditions such as land use type,the present situation of coal mining,irrigation level,groundwater exploitation and so on,then accumulated and arranged precipitation,evaporation,groundwater level monitoring data together with other related numerical data as data source,finally the hydrogeological conceptual model and relative mathematical model were both established. On this basis,a new method that integrating GIS technique and FEFLOW model was used as platform to realize the numerical input of in\out on top\bottom and the hydrogeological parameters in mining area,for building the three-dimensional numerical model of groundwater preliminarily. By means of late model validation,more accurate hydrogeological parameters would be acquired. The FEFLOW model after adjusting parameters simulated better with the average error of 0.3 m. In addition,the fitting correlation coefficient between simulated and observed value was 0.862,reaching extremely significant level with confidence of 0.001,which means that the simulation results conform the actual situation. After the numerical model was completed,the groundwater level observed value at the beginning of 2011 is acted as initial conditions to simulate and predict groundwater dynamic change process under 4 different scenarios within 10 years in the future,followed by the advantages for change process of groundwater level visualization. The results indicated that: when the mining intensity increased by 10%,30%,50%,the overall trend of groundwater flow field and the motion was not much changed,the whole rule was still. But that the groundwater level in northern and northwestern regions was higher while in south and southeast was comparable lower,and the flow direction of groundwater was from north to south and brought together in the southern region,excreted in the form of springs. However,the groundwater flow field in the southern mining area has been found  changed,with its level contour deformed,and the water level in the southeast has formed a low water zone,forcing the groundwater flow deflected. Water level analysis showed that mining activities would result in an overall decline in the groundwater table,which had a positive correlation with the intensity. Equilibrium analysis showed that when the mining intensity maintained the status quo or increased by 10%,the groundwater system was still in the state of positive equilibrium,the balance of groundwater system was 290.983 m3·d-1 and 260.08 m3·d-1. However,when the mining intensity increased by 30%,50%,it was a negative balance,the value was -194.3 m3·d-1 and -249.532 m3·d-1,bringing about the groundwater flow quantity been reduced significantly. The study,combined FEFLOW with GIS to build a numerical model in mining area,revealed the dynamic change rule of groundwater in mining area,provided powerful scientific basis for regional water resources management and reasonable groundwater exploitation and utilization,further offered strong scientific and technological support effectively curbing the deterioration of water environment and ensuring water security in mining area,which has a practical great significance to the sustainable development of ecological environment in this area and even the whole mining area in Shanxi.

Key words: Mining area, FEFLOW, Groundwater, Water table, Flow field

CLC Number: 

  • P641