Agnieszka Operacz

Groundwater is a key strategic resource underpinning water security, and its effective management requires reliable, high-frequency monitoring data. In mountainous regions such as the flysch Carpathians in southern Poland, natural springs are particularly sensitive indicators of aquifer system dynamics. This study analyzes the role of springs in the national groundwater observation and research network and identifies barriers to the implementation of automated monitoring of spring discharge. The research covered 28 springs operating within the regional monitoring network of the Polish Geological Institute—National Research Institute in the Carpathian region. Classical hydrogeological spring classifications were applied and complemented with proprietary criteria addressing formal-legal, technical, and environmental conditions affecting the feasibility of automation. The results show that all of the analysed springs exhibited a Meinzer’s variability index (V) exceeding 100%, and numerous objects showed a coefficient of variation (CV) above 150%, providing quantitative evidence that standard weekly manual measurements statistically fail to capture rapid flow dynamics and peak discharge events. To bridge the gap between hydrodynamic observations and monitoring logistics, this study introduces a novel methodological contribution: the F-T-S-N screening framework. This proprietary, multi-criteria classification quantifies Formal-legal, Technical, Structural, and Nature-environmental barriers to telemetry implementation. The application of this framework demonstrates that the main obstacles to modernization are non-technological. The proposed classification serves as a practical, transferable tool that supports the rational planning of monitoring network automation in other mountainous regions with similar hydrogeological conditions.

Groundwater is a key strategic resource underpinning water security, and its effective management requires reliable, high-frequency monitoring data. In mountainous regions such as the flysch Carpathians in southern Poland, natural springs are particularly sensitive indicators of aquifer system dynamics. This study analyzes the role of springs in the national groundwater observation and research network and identifies barriers to the implementation of automated monitoring of spring discharge. The research covered 28 springs operating within the regional monitoring network of the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute in the Carpathian region. Classical hydrogeological spring classifications were applied and complemented with proprietary criteria addressing formal-legal, technical, and environmental conditions affecting the feasibility of automation. The results show that most analyzed springs exhibit high discharge variability and rapid responses to precipitation, indicating that weekly manual measurements are insufficient to capture flow dynamics. The main barriers to telemetry implementation are non-technological and related primarily to ownership, administrative, and environmental constraints. The proposed spring classification framework supports rational planning of monitoring network automation and may be applicable in other mountainous regions with similar hydrogeological conditions.

This paper presents the results of a study of two innovative quasi-technical installations designed for high- quality treatment of domestic wastewater in rural areas. The installations are equipped with similar technological devices arranged in sequences consisting of: three-chamber flow septic tanks, biological sprayed beds filled with granular (10–20 mm) calcined clay materials, special slope biofilters with soil-grass beds and infiltration ponds as recipients. The sites are located at an altitude of more than 600 m a.s.l. in a foothill climate, in southern Poland. For both sites, the analysis showed a high elimination efficiency for pollutants expressed as biochemical oxygen demand over five days, chemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. In the case of total nitrogen, the reduction rate was 79.4% for facility No. 1 and 84.3% for facility No. 2, respectively. A high level of ammoniacal nitrogen removal was achieved at both analysed sites, at 98.7% for facility No. 1 and 92.1% for facility No. 2. The PO4-P were removed at 88.0% at facility No. 1 and 69.1% at facility No. 2. The correlation analysis showed no significant relationship between the removal efficiency of the analysed pollutant indicators and the temperature of the treated wastewater, with the exception of total nitrogen. Thus, it is concluded that the climatic conditions did not affect the wastewater treatment processes. They are an effective alternative to treatment plants based on activated sludge technology and are recommended for use in rural areas with high environmental values, without sewage systems, which require special protection.

The global shift towards the use of renewable energy is essential to ensure sustainable development, and geothermal energy stands out as a suitable option that can support various cascading projects. Spent geothermal water (SGW) requires proper treatment to ensure that it does not become an environmental burden. Typically, companies often face the dilemma of choosing between discharging spent geothermal water (SGW) into surface waters or injecting it into rock masses, and the economic and environmental impacts of the decision made determines the feasibility of geothermal plant development. In this study, we aimed to comprehensively assess the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of SGW injection into rock masses. To this end, we employed a comprehensive analytical approach using the Chochołów GT-1 geothermal injection borehole in Poland as a reference case. We also performed drilling and hydrogeological testing, characterized rock samples in the laboratory, and corrected hydrodynamic parameters for thermal lift effects to ensure accurate aquifer characterization. The results obtained highlight the importance of correcting hydrogeological parameters for thermal effects, which if neglected can lead to a significant overestimation of the calculated hydrogeological parameters. Based on our analysis, we developed a framework for assessing SGW injection feasibility that integrates detailed hydrogeological and geotechnical analyses with environmental risk assessment to ensure sustainable geothermal resource exploitation. This framework should be mandatory for planning new geothermal power plants or complexes worldwide. Our results also emphasize the need for adequate SGW management so as to ensure that the benefits of using a renewable and zero-emission resource, such as geothermal energy, are not compromised by the low absorption capacity of rock masses or adverse environmental effects.

The problem of wastewater discharged from facilities for soilless plant cultivation is a worldwide problem. So, there is a strong need to find a simple, maintenance-free technological solution. Such a solution may be the use of biofilters or constructed wetlands with “active” filling, which will be a source of carbon for denitrifying organisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate four different types of materials—Oxytree wood chips (Paulownia Clon in vitro 112^®), biobased polybutylene succinate derivatives (BioPBS FZ91PB and BioPBS FD92PB), and beech wood chips—as biofilter media and as solid exogenous carbon sources. The highest efficiency of denitrification and dephosphatation (43.11% and 42.48%, respectively) was characterized by the biobased polybutylene succinate FD92PB. The lowest removal efficiency of phosphorus compounds was achieved for beech chips—25.23% and BioPBS FZ91PB—26.42%. The lowest denitrification efficiency—8.8%—was achieved by Oxytree wood chips. The extent of organic matter (COD) repollution in the treated wastewater requires further study. Wood chips were found to release less COD than biobased polybutylene succinate. The research results showed that all tested materials can be a source of carbon in soilless tomato cultivation wastewater treatment. This is a good starting point for further research on selecting appropriate process parameters and creating new solutions for reactor construction.

This paper reports the results of an investigation into the influence of precipitation and air temperature on the efficiency of pollutant removal processes and effluent pollutant concentrations in a one-stage constructed wetland with subsurface vertical flow. We studied an on-site constructed wetland system that used Phragmites australis for the treatment of domestic wastewater. The system was located in central Europe, in the south-east of Poland, in a temperate climate zone with transitional features. Physico-chemical analyses of influent and effluent wastewater, as well as measurements of precipitation and air temperature were carried out in the years 2001–2010. It was shown that the pollutant removal efficiency of the treatment plant was significantly higher in the growing season than outside the growing season (the mean efficiency is usually a few percent higher but generally this parameter is highly varied). This indicated that temperature determined the efficiency of the wastewater treatment. We found that the amount of precipitation affected the concentration of pollutants in the effluent. The more rainfall there was, the lower the content of pollutants in the effluent from the treatment plant, which demonstrated that rainwater diluted the concentrations of pollutants in the treated wastewater—thus improving the efficiency of the wastewater treatment plant.

The aim of the study was to model the operation of a wastewater treatment plant using the Monte Carlo method and selected probability distributions of random variables. Pollutant indices in treated wastewater were analysed, such as: biological oxygen demand ( BOD 5), chemical oxygen demand ( COD Cr), total suspended solids ( TSS), total nitrogen (N tot), total phosphorus (P tot). The preliminary analysis of pollution indicators series included the: calculation of descriptive statistics and assessment of biological degradability of wastewater. The consistency of the theoretical distributions with the empirical ones was assessed using Anderson–Darling statistics. The best-fitting statistical distributions were selected using the percent bias criterion. Based on the calculations performed, it was found that the analysed indicators of pollution in treated wastewater were characterised by an average variability of composition for BOD 5, COD Cr and TSS, and a high variability of composition for N tot and P tot. The best fitted distribution was log-normal for BOD 5, TSS, N tot and P tot and general extreme values for COD Cr. The simulation carried out using the Monte-Carlo method confirmed that there may be problems associated with the reduction of nutrients (N tot and P tot) the analysed wastewater treatment plant. Results of values obtained of the risk values of negative control of wastewater treatment plant operation for biogenic compounds, different from 1, indicate that the number of exceedances at the outflow may be higher than the acceptable one.

Geothermal energy, as one of the more well-known renewable energy sources (RES), is used in many operating installations around the world. Depending on the temperature of the geothermal waters in question, the choices range from installations for generating electricity (high-temperature geothermal energy), to the production of thermal energy for use in recreational complexes, to fish farming (low-temperature geothermal energy). Lindal’s diagram determines the possibilities of using warm groundwater for many investment projects. In light of the drive to avoid climate change, it seems that the conventional “one-way” use of geothermal water resources is insufficient. Therefore, this article presents an optimal innovative solution wherein geothermal water is fully utilized in a geothermal cogeneration installation to produce heat and electricity and to provide cooling. In addition, it was proposed to expand the investment with photovoltaic and hydropower plants to ensure greater energy independence by diversifying energy sources and increasing the share of energy supplies based on renewable energy sources. Such a broad approach allows for the implementation of a sustainable development strategy in the field of environmental protection. The proposed solution involves the modernization and expansion of the existing energy generation sources by a heating plant and a geothermal power plant in Chochołowskie Termy (South Poland), as well as the construction of a power plant based on a photovoltaic installation, hydropower setup, and energy storage. The presented innovative solution may be an excellent example of implementation for similar geothermal facilities in the world. The novelty of the system is the approach of assessing and combining the different RES in one project, based on a geothermal plant. Popularizing this solution in the wider scientific environment may have a real impact in terms of the reduction of pollutant emissions.