Abstract: Geothermal energy exploitation and utilization are closely related to groundwater transport and the evolution of water environment. In this study, wereviewed the development status and typical mining technologies for the shallow geothermal energy stored in the soil and phreatic aquifers, median-to-high-temperature geothermal energy in deep aquifers, and high-temperature geothermal energy stored in the hot dry rocks for informational purposes of sustainable development and utilization of large-scale geothermal resources. In particular, the shallow geothermal energy can be classified into ground source heat pump and ground water heat pump according to the subsurface heat source; Median-to-high-temperature geothermal energy can be exploited mainly by direct mining, combination of production and injection and standing column well system; And high-temperature geothermal energy can be exploited using enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) through reservoir reconstruction technique such as hydraulic fracturing or chemical stimulation. Furthermore, the potential impact of geothermal energy exploitation on the groundwater resources was analyzed and summarized following the reported site cases, mainly focused on the cold and heat accumulation brought by heat pump technology, the decline of groundwater level caused by hydrothermal exploitation and the possibility of microseismic events or fracturing fluid leakage caused by hydraulic fracturing of hot dry rocks. In the end, the approaches were proposed to promote the sustainable development of geothermal resources and reduce the negative impacts on groundwater resources, including improving the recharge capacity, maintaining the water balance in the process of mining and irrigation, maintaining the heat exchange efficiency and the re-balance of underground heat, and adopting new materials. 

Key words: geothermal energy, mining technology, groundwater environment, prevention approaches, sustainable development and utilization