4
K. Kubiak-Wójcicka et al.
regulated by various legal acts with a long tradition. One of the most important events
in this area was the establishment of the State Environmental Monitoring. The State
Environmental Monitoring was created by the Act of 20 July 1991 on the Inspection for Environmental Protection to provide reliable information on the state of the
environment [4]. As part of the monitoring, tests were established and carried out
in accordance with the previously adopted methodology and indicators for surface
and groundwater [5, 6]. Changes in this area began in 2003, when Poland signed
the accession treaty on accession to the European Union. Poland, being a candidate
country for full European Union membership, had to adapt its legislation to the EU
standards. The provisions of Directive [7] have been implemented into national law
and have been reflected in a number of laws and regulations related to water and
sewage management. The basic instrument for implementing the Directive is the
National Programme for Municipal Waste Water Treatment [8]. In the Polish legal
system, all issues related to sewage management, rational shaping and protection of
water resources are regulated by the Water Law Act and executive regulations to this
Act [4]. The legal, organizational and economic solutions contained in the Act are
addressed to both water owners and users as well as public administration bodies,
they are intended to achieve good ecological status of waters, i.e. preservation of a
rich and balanced ecosystem.
Currently, the State Environmental Monitoring is implementing tasks related to
water quality in reservoirs, rivers and underground waters based on the 2001 Environmental Protection Law Act [9] and the Water Law Act of 20 July 2017 [10]. In
addition, the basic legal acts in Poland relating to health safety issues are the Act
of 7 June 2001 on collective water supply and sewage disposal and the Regulation
of the Minister of Health of 7 December 2017 [2] on the quality of drinking water.
These legal acts are in accordance with EU directives that regulated the issues of
river water quality, drinking water, its quantity and purity standards.
These studies are supplemented by the results obtained during field work carried
out for selected rivers or lakes by researchers. Often these are the only such studies
conducted for these facilities. They can provide a basis for including a given object in
systematic monitoring tests. This is particularly true of small waterbodies, including
ponds and small lakes, low-order streams, ditches and springs that are critical for
freshwater diversity. They play an important role in providing ecosystem services
and require better protection [11–14].
The purpose of monitoring is to determine the quality status of waters, and thus
the grounds for taking action to improve it if necessary. It is the basis for water protection, especially protection against pollution, both pollution leading to eutrophication,
mainly from the domestic and municipal sector and agriculture (biogenic pollution),
as well as industrial pollution. As the assessment of surface water status is used for
integrated water management, water monitoring applies to surface and groundwater.
K. Kubiak-Wójcicka et al.
regulated by various legal acts with a long tradition. One of the most important events
in this area was the establishment of the State Environmental Monitoring. The State
Environmental Monitoring was created by the Act of 20 July 1991 on the Inspection for Environmental Protection to provide reliable information on the state of the
environment [4]. As part of the monitoring, tests were established and carried out
in accordance with the previously adopted methodology and indicators for surface
and groundwater [5, 6]. Changes in this area began in 2003, when Poland signed
the accession treaty on accession to the European Union. Poland, being a candidate
country for full European Union membership, had to adapt its legislation to the EU
standards. The provisions of Directive [7] have been implemented into national law
and have been reflected in a number of laws and regulations related to water and
sewage management. The basic instrument for implementing the Directive is the
National Programme for Municipal Waste Water Treatment [8]. In the Polish legal
system, all issues related to sewage management, rational shaping and protection of
water resources are regulated by the Water Law Act and executive regulations to this
Act [4]. The legal, organizational and economic solutions contained in the Act are
addressed to both water owners and users as well as public administration bodies,
they are intended to achieve good ecological status of waters, i.e. preservation of a
rich and balanced ecosystem.
Currently, the State Environmental Monitoring is implementing tasks related to
water quality in reservoirs, rivers and underground waters based on the 2001 Environmental Protection Law Act [9] and the Water Law Act of 20 July 2017 [10]. In
addition, the basic legal acts in Poland relating to health safety issues are the Act
of 7 June 2001 on collective water supply and sewage disposal and the Regulation
of the Minister of Health of 7 December 2017 [2] on the quality of drinking water.
These legal acts are in accordance with EU directives that regulated the issues of
river water quality, drinking water, its quantity and purity standards.
These studies are supplemented by the results obtained during field work carried
out for selected rivers or lakes by researchers. Often these are the only such studies
conducted for these facilities. They can provide a basis for including a given object in
systematic monitoring tests. This is particularly true of small waterbodies, including
ponds and small lakes, low-order streams, ditches and springs that are critical for
freshwater diversity. They play an important role in providing ecosystem services
and require better protection [11–14].
The purpose of monitoring is to determine the quality status of waters, and thus
the grounds for taking action to improve it if necessary. It is the basis for water protection, especially protection against pollution, both pollution leading to eutrophication,
mainly from the domestic and municipal sector and agriculture (biogenic pollution),
as well as industrial pollution. As the assessment of surface water status is used for
integrated water management, water monitoring applies to surface and groundwater.