Applicability of Artificial Recharge of Groundwater in the Yongding River Alluvial Fan in Beijing through Numerical Simulation

A groundwater transient flow model was developed to evaluate the applicability and effectiveness of artificial recharge scenarios in the middle-upper part of the Yongding River alluvial fan in Beijing. These scenarios were designed by taking into account different types of recharge facilities and their infiltration rate with the Middle Route Project for South-to-North Water Transfer (MRP) as the recharge water source. The simulation results suggest that: (1) the maximum amount of artificial recharge water, for scenario Ⅰ, would be 127.42×10⁶ m³ with surface infiltration facilities; and would be 243.48×10⁶ m³ for scenario Ⅱ with surface infiltration and recharge wells under the constraint of the upper limit of groundwater; (2) with preferred pattern of recharge facilities, groundwater levels in both optimized recharge scenarios would not exceed the upper limit within the given recharge period; and (3) implementation of the recharge scenarios would efficiently increase the aquifer replenishment and the groundwater budget will change from −54.11×10⁶ to 70.89×10⁴ and 183.36×10⁴ m³, respectively. In addition, under these two scenarios groundwater level would rise up to 30 and 34 m, respectively, without increasing the amount of evaporation. The simulation results indicate that the proposed recharge scenarios are practically feasible, and artificial recharge can also contribute to an efficient recovery of groundwater storage in Beijing.