<p>Changes in land use/land cover (LULC) patterns have important implications for groundwater quality. This study investigated the long-term spatial and temporal variations of fluoride (F) and arsenic (As) in the central Yinchuan Plain, along with the LULC patterns for the years 2006, 2012 and 2018 using statistical models, Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation and Spearman correlation analysis. Results indicate substantial changes in LULC patterns over the 12&#xa0;year period, characterized by a significant increase in urban land area, and a decrease in agricultural and forest/grassland areas. Urbanization has significantly expanded the extent of F and As contamination, leading to the emergence of new pollution hotspots. Although urban land exhibits a positive correlation with groundwater F concentrations, elevated F levels are typically absent within urban areas due to surface imperviousness and effective drainage systems that limit infiltration and fluoride accumulation. Conversion of agricultural and forest/grassland land to urban use generally leads to decreased F concentrations, attributed to the cessation of irrigation and increased dilution. In contrast, transitions between forest/grassland and bare land promote F enrichment due to ecological disturbance and enhanced percolation that facilitates fluoride mobilization. Arsenic concentrations significantly increase when forest/grassland is converted to agricultural land, primarily as a result of intensified irrigation, fertilizer application, and altered redox conditions that enhance arsenic release. These results demonstrate that LULC changes exert a substantial influence on the spatial–temporal distribution of groundwater contaminants and emphasize the necessity for coordinated land and water resource management.</p>