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Article

The Construction of Check Dams on the Loess Plateau Has Prolonged Water Transmission Times and Altered Recharge Relationships

by
Yi Sun
1,
Yi Zhang
2,*,
Xiao-Jun Liu
3,
Chen Meng
1,*,
Yu-Ting Cheng
2 and
Jing Wang
4
1
College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750000, China
2
College of Geology and Environment, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China
3
College of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750000, China
4
College of Ecological Environment, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2025, 17(22), 3320; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223320
Submission received: 14 October 2025 / Revised: 6 November 2025 / Accepted: 18 November 2025 / Published: 20 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Erosion and Soil and Water Conservation, 2nd Edition)
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Abstract

Background: As a key structure for gully control on the Loess Plateau, check dams are designed to intercept sediment and reduce flood peaks without intentional water storage. However, persistent ponding zones have often formed upstream of dams in the Niejia River Basin, exceeding their intended functionality. Methods: This study examines the basin using hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes to trace hydrological processes. Based on 251 water samples, mixing models and exponential fitting were applied to quantify water sources and transmission times. Results: Results show that precipitation (47.07%) and groundwater (34.48%) are the main sources of channel water. Check dams extended water transmission time in dammed tributaries to 489 days—2.8 times longer than in undammed ones. Conclusions: This delay enhances watershed storage capacity, providing insight into the hydrological impacts of check dams on the Loess Plateau.
Keywords: loess plateau; hydrogen and oxygen isotopes; water replenishment; water transport time loess plateau; hydrogen and oxygen isotopes; water replenishment; water transport time

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MDPI and ACS Style

Sun, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, X.-J.; Meng, C.; Cheng, Y.-T.; Wang, J. The Construction of Check Dams on the Loess Plateau Has Prolonged Water Transmission Times and Altered Recharge Relationships. Water 2025, 17, 3320. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223320

AMA Style

Sun Y, Zhang Y, Liu X-J, Meng C, Cheng Y-T, Wang J. The Construction of Check Dams on the Loess Plateau Has Prolonged Water Transmission Times and Altered Recharge Relationships. Water. 2025; 17(22):3320. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223320

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sun, Yi, Yi Zhang, Xiao-Jun Liu, Chen Meng, Yu-Ting Cheng, and Jing Wang. 2025. "The Construction of Check Dams on the Loess Plateau Has Prolonged Water Transmission Times and Altered Recharge Relationships" Water 17, no. 22: 3320. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223320

APA Style

Sun, Y., Zhang, Y., Liu, X.-J., Meng, C., Cheng, Y.-T., & Wang, J. (2025). The Construction of Check Dams on the Loess Plateau Has Prolonged Water Transmission Times and Altered Recharge Relationships. Water, 17(22), 3320. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223320

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