Study on the Carrying Capacity and Change Trend of Groundwater Resources in Coal Mining Area: A Case Study of a Coal Mine in Northwest China

The groundwater resources carrying capacity is a comprehensive metric that assesses the ability of groundwater resources in a region to support industrial production and socioeconomic development. In arid regions, the calculation and analysis of the carrying capacity of groundwater resources are of paramount importance for guiding sustainable mining practices in coal mines. This study utilized a combination of the Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) method and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to analyze the carrying capacity of groundwater resources in the coal mine located in northwest China. The results showed that the groundwater resources carrying capacity in the study coal mine was at a low level from 2011 to 2020 and the development and utilization of groundwater will reach its limit. The change trend of the carrying capacity showed a slight increase following a decline, with the highest value 0.5021 and the lowest 0.3518. The factors that significantly impacted the size of the carrying capacity included the total groundwater resources, the degree of groundwater development and utilization, and the per unit GDP of water consumption. To ensure sustainable development, the optimization of coal mining technology and the improvement of groundwater utilization efficiency should be promoted, while the rate of groundwater development should be slowed. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for guiding the sustainable development of groundwater resources in the coal mine of arid areas in the future and have practical implications.