Abstract: Since the 1980s, the groundwater extraction intensity in the North China Plain has continuously increased, challenging water resource security. The groundwater has long been in a state of severe overexploitation, leading to the formation of a large-scale groundwater depression cone. After years of comprehensive management of overexploitation in recent years, the groundwater level has rebounded significantly. Against the backdrop of drastic changes in groundwater levels in recent decades, the temporal variation characteristics of lateral recharge of groundwater in the piedmont plain of Taihang Mountains remain unclear.This paper uses groundwater level observation data from three periods (1976–1980, 1991–2004, and 2018–2023), which respectively represent the pre-intensive exploitation period, intensive exploitation period, and comprehensive management period. By screening observation wells in the three periods, determining cross-sections, and using Darcy's law method to calculate lateral groundwater recharge, this study analyzes the lateral recharge of shallow groundwater and its temporal variation characteristics in the Hebei section of the piedmont plain of Taihang Mountains.A systematic study and analysis were conducted on the decadal variation trends, as well as interannual and monthly variation characteristics of lateral groundwater recharge in three periods: the pre-intensive exploitation period, intensive exploitation period, and comprehensive management period.The study finds that: 1) The lateral recharge of shallow groundwater generally shows an increasing trend, with the multi-year average being 9.8×10⁸ m³·a⁻¹ in the pre-intensive exploitation period, and increasing to 10.6×10⁸ and 13.8×10⁸ m³·a⁻¹ in the intensive exploitation period and comprehensive management period, respectively; 2) There are obvious interannual fluctuations in lateral groundwater recharge. In the pre-intensive exploitation period, the interannual variation range of lateral groundwater recharge does not exceed 0.70×10⁸ m³, while in the intensive exploitation period, the interannual variation range can reach 4.18×10⁸ m³, and in the comprehensive management period, the interannual variation range slightly decreases to about 3.52×10⁸ m³; 3) The intra-annual variation of lateral groundwater recharge is obvious, with the minimum lateral recharge occurring in February each year; 4) With the development of groundwater management, the main controlling factors of lateral recharge changes have shifted from hydraulic gradient to the combined action of hydraulic gradient and aquifer thickness.This study can enhance the in-depth understanding of regional groundwater circulation laws, and is of important scientific value for deeply understanding the regional groundwater circulation law and promoting the sustainable utilization of groundwater resources.