Groundwater level lowering in the North China Plain (NCP) has been developing during past several decades by overuse in populated cities and industrial districts as well as by irrigation. To interpret groundwater level lowering in terms of aquifer-bearing beds having relatively high porosity, contour maps and cross sections of water level lowering based on monitoring data are compared with subsurface Quaternary geologic map. The comparison revealed that the extents of productive shallow and

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... aquifers are generally restricted in specifi c regions where sand and gravel occur in lenticular form. The groundwater resources are regarded as fossil resource because groundwater of deep aquifer is dated as older than 10,000 years BP. Therefore, if overproduction of groundwater continues at the same rate as at present, it should result in depletion or severe lowering of water level and induce ground subsidence and water quality deterioration. To overcome the problems, effective use of irrigation and recycling of used water from industrial and domestic uses by water purifi cation are essential.