Groundwater management in Jinan, China

Together with SWISSWATER AG, TK CONSULT AG has been commissioned to optimize the groundwater management in the city of Jinan in China.

Jinan is a city with about 6 million inhabitants that is located right next to the mighty Yellow River. Jinan has more than 72 artesian springs in the city, the most famous being the Baotu-Spring. Due to the extraction of groundwater for the city water supply as well as the uncontrolled extraction of groundwater for domestic use, agriculture and industry, there are already periods where these springs are dry. In order to stabilize the groundwater level, water from the Yellow River is already being fed into the aquifers from several reservoirs.

Together with SWISSWATER AG, TK CONSULT AG has set the following goals:

• Development of quality and quantitative measures for the city of Jinan to secure their water supply
• Designing sustainable strategies for the rehabilitation of the groundwater aquifer
• Optimization of groundwater recharge
• Assistance to authorities in preparing a predictable groundwater model

Steffen Corbe traveled to Jinan to get acquainted with the local situation, problems and needs firsthand.