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Seen in the light of increasing anthropogenic impacts on the environment and a growing demand for potable water, pollution of groundwater is a very important issue, especially in large city areas. The present research includes analyses of the chemical composition at 109 measuring points in the Wrocław area, and of the spatial distribution of groundwater components with regard to land use, geological structure and hydrogeological conditions. Based on spatial analyses, it has been noted that changes depend mainly on land use and the kind of activity carried out in close proximity of water intake. Shallow groundwater in Wrocław is characterised by a great variability of main components. Factor analysis has made it possible to distinguish these components and determine the degree of their influence on the chemical composition of shallow groundwater in the entire study area. The current research demonstrates the high sensitivity of aquifers to pollution and emphasises the role of human activity in levels of groundwater pollution in urban areas.

This paper presents the construction of a numerical three-dimensional model of the area of the Żelazny Most Mining Waste Storage Facility (MWSF). In the study area, the difficult geological conditions associated with glaciotectonics are accompanied by a complex hydrotechnical system of sediment deposition and sedimentary water drainage. In order to effectively reflect the water flow paths, a detailed schematization was carried out, using 700,000 boreholes and more than 300 hydrogeological cross-sections. In addition, numerous drainage sections, streams, and ditches were included to reliably assess the amount of saline water entering the underlying aquifers. This research was supported by magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) studies of the reservoir's sediments. The MWSF is currently being expanded, so the work primarily focuses on illustrating changes in the hydrodynamic field resulting from the inclusion of the new southern section. Models of similar facilities have been implemented before, but in the current one, the combination of meticulous analysis of the hydro-structural system, the water balance, a significant amount of data, the size of the facility, and the use of an unstructured discretization grid in the calculations is undoubtedly innovative and will be an important contribution to the development of analogous solutions around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 2008 ablation season, subglacial springs discharge, flow rate and profiling of the proglacial river, physical-chemical parameters (pH, temperature, electrical conductivity) and chemical composition (HCO3-, SO42-, Cl-, NO3-, NO2-, PO43-, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Fetot, Mn2+, Al3+, Zn2+, Pb2+ and SiO²) of water in the Werenskiold Glacier forefield were measured. Chemical composition of groundwater as well as water of lakes, the main watercourse, subglacial outflows and water representing direct meltwater recharge were studied to determine their origin, the depth of circulation and recharge systems. The results indicate that the main source of water in the glacial river were the subglacial outflows in the central part of the glacier. They generated 77% of the total amount of water in the glacier forefield. Direct inflow of groundwater from glacier moraine to proglacial river was marginally low and the water circulation system was shallow, fast and variable. There were no evidences for an important role of deeper than suprapermafrost water circulation systems. The water temperature, especially in the lakes, exceeding the mean daily air temperature during the ablation period, is due to the heating of the ground moraine rocks. A clear difference between groundwater chemical composition and surface water as well as subglacial runoff in terms of major ions, together with the homogeneity of chemical composition of the proglacial river from spring to mouth confirmed the marginal role of groundwater runoff in the drainage of the catchment area. It was confirmed that the chemical composition of groundwater and moraine lakes in the glacier forefield was shaped by geological factors, i.e., mainly chemical weathering of sulphides, carbonates and secondary sulphates. The possibility of secondary iron hydroxide precipitation and a high probability of complex aluminosilicate transformations were also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results of research into the freshwater springs occurring in the crystalline and compact sedimentary rocks in the Sudeten Mountains. The research consisted of three series of measurements taken in the hydrological year 2013 in four test catchments (Machowski Stream, Inflow at the foot of Mount Grodziec, Podgórna, Mostowy Stream). Data analysis indicated that the number of springs, spring discharge and physicochemical properties of the water were subject to significant temporal variation. The temporal variability of the spring density index ranged from 7 to 31%. Temporal variations in the total yield of the springs fluctuated between 34 and 63% and the minimum discharge variability index exceeded 100%. The study indicated that water flow in areas consisting of compact sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and marl is much more diffuse than in areas that are comprised primarily of crystalline rocks, which accounts for a lower yield and a decrease in temporal spring discharge variability. In areas made up of crystalline rocks, the higher yield and the higher spring discharge variability index point to cracks and fissures as the main recharge component, a feature characteristic of aquifers with high conductivity and low storage capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]