Effects of coal exploitation on groundwater resources: A case study in Taiyuan Basin

Taiyuan Basin is a typical coal basin which lies across the three coal fields of Xishan, Qinshui, Huoxi in Shanxi Province. This study established a groundwater impact assessment system (GIAS) under the conditions of coal mining using eight selected indicators including topography, hydro-geological conditions and structure, coal density, mining depth, drainage volume, groundwater level, spring flow, and groundwater quality. The zoning map of groundwater damage extent in Taiyuan Basin was obtained with the aid of GIS spatial analysis technology. The study area was divided into four ranks by the extent of damage by coal mining on groundwater resources: (I) no damaged region (0.0%),(II) slightly damaged region (41.4%),(III) moderate damaged region (49.0%),and (IV) seriously damaged region (9.6%).