Aquifers are like bank accounts for groundwater; Success story of Beiging

Aquifers are replenished with each deposit of rain, snowmelt, or surface infiltration. Currently, many aquifers around the world have low balances, but there have been some success stories. Environmental Science Professor Scott Jasechko said, “Groundwater depletion is not inevitable and Humans have solved this problem in different places around the globe.”

Between 1950 and 2000, groundwater pumping around Beijing had caused the water table to plummet by more than 20 meters in some places. In 2003, the government started construction of canals and pumping stations, and by 2015 it was delivering water to the city and surrounding areas from wetter regions farther to the south.

At the same time, the city began using more reclaimed water in the 21st century, with much of this allocated to environmental uses like watering trees and grasslands as well as replenishing lakes and rivers. Furthermore, the authorities banned pumping from the region’s deep confined aquifers for industrial uses after the water deliveries began.

Both the area’s shallow aquifers and deep ones have started recovering. Springs that had previously dried-up began flowing once again. Meanwhile, the region’s irrigated agriculture remains highly productive—and its sustainability is no longer jeopardized by falling groundwater levels.