Groundwater Environmental Functional Zoning Using GIS and FAHP: A Case Study of an Overexploited Coastal Area in the North China Plain, NCP

Unreasonable groundwater exploitation has led to numerous ecological and social issues. Current groundwater management practices in China primarily focus on post-event remediation, lacking proactive and sustainable solutions. Existing guidelines for groundwater function zoning often overlook ecological functions and face challenges in indicator selection, weight determination, and evaluation system construction. Groundwater environmental function zoning is scarce in Hebei Province, particularly in Tangshan City, a national pilot for groundwater pollution prevention and control, where such zoning is urgently needed. This study aims to establish an evaluation index system using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and employ GIS technology for spatial analysis to delineate groundwater environmental function zones. The study comprises three thematic layers: development potential, current development status, and groundwater quality. The weighted sum analysis of these layers reveals: Northern mountainous areas as concentrated water supply source protection and recharge zones with robust environmental functions; Central plains as dispersed development and utilization areas (1 and 2) with moderate environmental functions; Southern coastal areas as unsuitable for development with weak environmental functions. The zoning results are validated against actual district boundaries to ensure their rationality.