Water Source Discrimination in a Multiaquifer Mine Using a Comprehensive Stepwise Discriminant Method

Previously proposed discriminant methods cannot accurately identify water sources in a complex multiaquifer mine. Based on statistical analysis of the water chemistry of samples collected at the Xinji no. 2 multiaquifer coal mine, a comprehensive stepwise discriminant method was proposed for this purpose. Characteristic ion contrast and ion proportional coefficients were applied to aquifers with distinct chemical characteristics to establish a characteristic index discrimination system. Aquifers with small differences in water chemistry were identified by the Fisher discriminant method. Different methods (first simple ones, followed by more complex ones) were used to distinguish the water sources of different aquifers. This approach enabled us to identify water sources for the Xinji no. 2 mine and should be tried for other sites with similar hydrogeological conditions.