Groundwater recharge around the protected buildings to offset the impact of the sharp drop of groundwater caused by the dewatering operation of the surrounding foundation has been successfully implemented worldwide. However, due to the variable engineering geological conditions, it is particularly important to summarize the site-specific practical experience of groundwater recharge. The opening time of dewatering is not always synchronous with that of groundwater recharge in surrounding area, the subsoils often had certain settlements before recharging. It is difficult to find the influence of this small deformation on the physical and mechanical properties of soils through laboratory tests. Based on the actual project of groundwater recharge in Nanjing, China, this paper compares the previous research experience in different areas, summarizes the feasibility of this method in floodplain area of Nanjing and the typical characteristics of surface vertical displacement. This study, which was based on the CPTU tests carried out in different periods of the study area, reveals that the hydraulic conductivity of aquifuge I decreases slightly with the OCR, undrained shear strength and compression modulus have certain increases due to the dewatering and recharging operations. The little differences of the aquifuge can not be found by laboratory tests.