Abstract
Water resources development and exploitation are critical for a viable and sustainable modern human society. Unfortunately, however, there is a considerable water storage depletion and environmental degradation in especially (semi)‐arid river basins due to the forces of population growth, urbanization, industrialization and intensive agricultural irrigation. Addressing water storage depletion is not only a question of research, but is very much a question of developing appropriate countermeasures to preserve valuable/fragile ecological systems. As one such effort, this study analyzes the hydrology and storage in Baiyangdian Lake as affected by water resources development and exploitation in the Baiyangdian Lake Catchment of Northern China. Three models, WetSpass (Water and Energy Transfer between Soil, Plants and the Atmosphere under quasi‐Steady State), WATBUD (Water Budget) and MODFLOW (USGS three‐dimensional finite‐difference groundwater flow model) were used in combination to simulate the hydrogeologic conditions in the lake catchment for 1956–2008. The model‐calibrated values are in good agreement with the measured values, with R^2^ > 0·8 and RMSE < 10% of measured values. Runoff, the primary source of water for the lake storage, has steadily declined due mainly to multiple dam construction and reservoir impoundments in the headwater valleys and rivers in the catchment. In addition to dwindling runoff, groundwater levels have declined considerably due to over‐abstraction, mainly for agricultural irrigation. Additionally, evaporation or evapotranspiration is increasing in the lake catchment due to rising temperatures. The worsening hydrological conditions, amid the harsh semi‐arid climate, have resulted in considerable depletion of the storage and hydrology of Baiyangdian Lake. Sustainable countermeasures like agricultural water‐saving and infusion of external water (e.g., via by the South–North Water Transfer Project) could be a viable option for preserving not only the hydrology of the lake catchment, but also storage in Baiyangdian Lake. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.