The forecast of the anthropogenic transformations of the chemical composition of groundwaters in the urban areas

Abstract

The estimation of the anthropogenic transformations of the chemical composition of groundwater and the forecast of changes were given on the basis of the results of investigations made in the urban areas of towns: Zakopane, Nowy Targ and Białystok. Independently from the economic functions of the urban agg1omerations and the degree of anthropopression, the anthropogenic changes in the water quality are best documented by the concentrations of chlorides, sulphates and nitrogen compounds. The dry residue, interpreted in the sphere of separated local subpopulations is not a senstive index, but its usefulness increases in the case of regional estimations. The prognosis of the anthropogenic changes of concentrations showed, that potentially small changes may appear in the composition of deep groundwater. On the contrary, the shallow groundwater in both areas will succumb farther violent degradation. According to the forecast, the upper limit of the sulphate background for these waters in the area of Białystok will attain in the year 2000 the normative value, and in the case of nitrate nitrogen the limit will overstep more than twice the sanitary norm.