Groundwater flow rate and contaminant migration in fissure-karstic aquifer of Opole Triassic system southwest Poland

 This paper presents hydrogeological problems occurring during municipal water exploitation and mine dewatering. These activities result in groundwater quantity and quality changes in the fissure-karstic aquifer. Increase of nitrate concentration up to 12 mg NNO₃/l due to intensive fertilizer use, and high tritium concentration, show water system impact up to 100 m depth. Intensive water exploitation produces large cones of depression with over 40-m water-level depletion in the Opole region. Flow rates of major components and isotopes have been verified by chemical migration history. Some aspects of the protection policy of this type of aquifer are also discussed. Received: 7 March 1997 · Accepted: 17 November 1998