Evolution of groundwater salinity and fluoride in the deep confined aquifers of Cangzhou in the North China plain after the South-to-North Water Diversion Project

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) has greatly improved the water shortage in the North China Plain. However, the impact of the SNWDP on the evolution of groundwater chemistry, especially fluoride and salinity, was still unknown. Cangzhou, one of the recipient cities of SNWDP and suffered from severe land subsidence, was selected to collect the deep confined groundwater samples before and after the SNWDP. The results showed that groundwater fluoride concentration decreased after the SNWDP, with a median value of 4.39 mg/L in 2017 and 3.00 mg/L in 2021, respectively. This trend was more clearly observed in the land subsidence area, which could be related to the reduction of land subsidence, due to the stopping pumping of deep groundwater. The pore water in clayey sediments contains fluoride up to 7.02 mg/L, which can be released into groundwater due to the sediment compaction before the SNWDP. The extensive exploitation during last decades changed the groundwater recharge patterns, resulting in over 60% deep groundwater being recharged by the pore water released from clayey sediment. The results of the Small Baseline Subset Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SBAS-InSAR) suggested that land subsidence has slowed down after the SNWDP, especially in the central area of land subsidence, thereby restricting the release of fluoride-rich pore water. However, groundwater salinity increased after the SNWDP, and the number of samples exceeding the drinking standard (TDS <1000 mg/L) increased by 26.4%. The rising groundwater level favors the water-rock interaction, pro-moting the dissolution of soluble minerals, for instance, halite, which was reflected by the results of inverse and forward modeling using the PHREEQC. Groundwater salinization after the SNWDP potentially induces the fluorite dissolution and causes the elevation of groundwater fluoride concentration. However, the calculated results indicate that the amount of F elevation related to groundwater salinization is significantly lower than the contribution of fluoride-rich pore water from clay sediment compaction. The findings of this study provide a comprehensive assessment of the influence of the SNWDP on the groundwater quality and some new insights for the management of groundwater resources.

Automated summary

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) has improved water shortage but its impact on groundwater chemistry, particularly fluoride and salinity, is still unclear. Research conducted in Cangzhou, a recipient city of the SNWDP, found that fluoride concentration decreased after the project, especially in areas with land subsidence. However, groundwater salinity increased after the SNWDP, leading to a rise in fluoride concentration. The findings provide valuable insights for groundwater resource management.