Now, among the 3 economic sectors (agriculture, industry and servces), agriculture sees its activities decrease : in 1979, it was 33.7% of GDP and 11.9% in 2000, as rural population is on the decline as in any countries with important economic growth. But to feed 1.3 billions persons and ensure a 2-digits economic development rate, crops have to be more abundant and water resources are exploited to their limits. Those accelerating demands on water resources have led to an increased interest in the reuse of wastewater.

Gaobeidian WWTP Project
Several studies dealing with this kind of solution have been conducted, not especially in China but also in US (process started in the late 1980s), Finland or Israel, where benefits and costs of artificial groundwater recharge were tested. In China, a Sino-Germany Government Cooperation Project, involving the Institute of Nuclear Energy Technology (Tsinghua University) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, was created to investigate treatment process for the reuse of wastewater to a artifial groundwater recharge. The Gaobeidian WWTP is the case study of this artificial recharge: municipal effluents, from the second treatment are used to test the effects on the aquifer groundwater. Its quality can be affected as municipal effluents come from human wastes: biomass, soil chemical and mecanical properties are linked. In 2003, the hydrologist Herman Bouwer wrote : “Municipal wastewater can be an important water resource but its use must be carefully planned and regulated to prevent adverse health effects and, in the case of irrigation,undue contamination of groundwater.” (Integrated water management for the 21st century: Problems and Solutions, Jan. 2003).

At the Gaobeidian WWTP, researchers concluded that the unsaturated zone (where water is present in varying quantities changing over time, but it doesn’t saturate the soil) plays an important role in degrading the organic contaminants (Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ammonia) and purifying the sewage effluent.
In Nevada (USA), artificial recharge with municipal effluents have been settle for 20 years. “The benefits are lower energy costs for pumping, decreased need to deepen wells, lower maintenance for wells that could potentially be damaged by subsidence, and additional water for the aquifer system.” according to the Donovan et al. team researchers (2002).
Since the tremendous water demand for the 2008 Olympic Games forces the Chinese Government to find solutions to water shortage in the Hebei region, Chinese water knowledge is gaining in importance, as well intergorvernmental projects will be on the increase.

Bibliography on Artificial Recharge (Fatima Abdul-Hamid) : Bibliography web page

A field study of advanced municipal wastewater treatment technology for artificial groundwater recharge: Abstract text

Advanced Treatment of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent for Groundwater Recharge : Subject study

Agricultural Development in the North China Plain : World Bank Report

*As pinyin caracters weren’t displayed on my screen, tones are indicated with their numeral rank.

The shortage of the water reserves in China is now a reality and considered by the government as a break to the economic development. It has to face the shortage and the pollution of the groundwater and seems to consider that a better management must be a part of the plan. So, the 11th five-years guideline was decided to settle some of these questions: “There are great potentials for water saving by increasing water reuse or recycling”, said Mr. Wang Shucheng, Minister of Water Resources. The reforestation of nothern China was programmed partially for protecting soil and groundwater and the old Mao’s idea to divert the water of the south to the north is surfacing again.

For public health, wastewater treatment and drinking water plans should rise soon, since the Water Resources Ministry wants to implement total quantity control of water use and quota management, and initialize a national water rights system. According to the Statistic Bulletin China Water Activities, the number of pumping stations rose of 14% in 2005. To reach the goals, a lot of public/privates contracts are signed by the local administrations of chinese cities, who look for the value of skillfull partnerships with foreign societies, leaders in the water domain.
But the planning is in urge as it has been shown by the Groundwater Bulletin of China Northern Plains: the level of groundwater in the region of Beijing drops at an average of 0.75meter per year. In 40 years, the level of the reserve dropped of 55meters.

Interview (in french) of Jacques Gravereau, President of the Eurasia HEC Institut, talking about China water shortage and its issues – 05/05/07, Radio86.fr: http://www.radio86.fr/system/files/2007-05-05_feature_02_net.mp3