_applied sciences_  
_Article_  
**Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment and Protection Strategy in the Coastal Area of China: A GIS-Based DRASTIC Model Approach**  
[PERSON] 1,2,*, [PERSON] 3,4,*, [PERSON] 1,2, [PERSON] 1,2 and [PERSON] 1,2  
1 College of Hydraulic Engineering, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300384, China; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (F.C.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.L.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Y.Y)  
Joint Tianjin Agricultural University-China Agricultural University Smart Water Conservancy Research Center, Tianjin 300384, China  
3 Hebei Key Laboratory of Geological Resources and Environment Monitoring and Protection, Shijiazhuang 050021, China  
4 Hebei Geo-Environment Monitoring Centre, Shijiazhuang 050021, China  
* Correspondence: [PERSON]ESS] (Q.Z.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Q.S.)  
**Citation: [PERSON]; [PERSON]; [PERSON]; [PERSON]; [PERSON] Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment and Protection Strategy in the Coastal Area of China: A GIS-based DRASTIC Model Approach. _Appl. Sci._ **2023**, _13_, 10781. [[https://doi.org/10.3390/app131910781](https://doi.org/10.3390/app131910781)]([https://doi.org/10.3390/app131910781](https://doi.org/10.3390/app131910781))  
Received: 29 August 2023  
Received: 24 September 2023  
Accepted: 25 September 2023  
Submitted: 28 September 2023  
**Copyright** (c) 2023 by the authors. Liconse MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)]([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/))).  
**Abstract** Groundwater vulnerability reflects the risk level of groundwater contamination and its self-repairing ability, as well as its sustainability for use. Therefore, it provides significant scientific support for implementing measures to prevent groundwater contamination, especially in coastal areas. In this study, considering the lithology of vadose in valley plains and the extent of karst subsidence areas, a GIS-based DRASTIC model was employed to assess groundwater vulnerability in Tangshan City, a coastal area in China. The assessment results were presented and mapped using GIS, based on a comprehensive evaluation of seven parameters, including \"Depth of groundwater, Vertical net recharge, Aquifier thickness, Soil media, Topography, Impact of vadose zone, and Hydraulic conductivity\". The identified groundwater vulnerability zones included the highest, higher, moderate, low vulnerability those four zones, which accounted for 4%, 53%, 25%, and 18%, respectively. In addition, according to the results of field investigation, the karst subsidence area and the mined-out coastal area were directly classified as the highest vulnerable areas and covered 1.463 km\({}^{2}\); more attention is required here in subsequent groundwater protection processes and strategies. Finally, the groundwater pollution index was used to validate the groundwater vulnerability distribution results, and these two were in high agreement, with an \(R^{2}\) coefficient of 0.961. The study is crucial for the rational utilization and protection of water resources in Tangshan City.  
**Keywords** groundwater; vulnerability assessment; GIS-based DRASTIC model; protection strategy; coastal areas