Koprzywianka River in Poland
Location
The Koprzywianka River is situated in the south-eastern part of Poland, within the Świętokrzyskie Voivodship, covering the Opatów and Sandomierz districts. This basin is characterized by a typical agricultural landscape, with extensive areas of arable land, grasslands, orchards, and forests. The river, a left tributary of the Vistula, spans 65.9 km in length and drains a catchment area of 707 km². Modelling here focuses on hydrologic responses to varying soil retention and hydraulic properties, along with the impacts of irrigation practices. The transport of chemical compounds such as nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, potassium, lead, nickel, and cadmium, resulting from agricultural management, will also be analyzed using the MIKE SHE model.
Description
The Koprzywianka catchment area has an upland landscape in its middle and upper sections, transitioning into lowland at the river’s. The Koprzywianka catchment has a temperate climate, which is mostly characteristic of upland areas. The geological structure of the Koprzywianka catchment area is complicated. This area is the eastern part of the Świętokrzyskie anticlinorium, within which several structural units are distinguished. On the north side – Cambrian rocks. The Kielce-Łagów synclinorium is made of sediments of the Lower, Middle and Upper Cambrian, Silurian, as well as the Inferior Devonian, Middle Devonian and Upper Devonian. Heading south, we distinguish the Klimontów anticlinorium, which is formed by Palaeozoic formations, covered with Neogene formations in the south-western part of the catchment.
The area’s soils are some of the most fertile in Poland, with a dominance of fertile brown and chernozem soils. Locally, there are brown soils formed on glacial clays, rendzina on carbonate rocks and mads (developed mainly from loess and loess formations) – in river valleys. Loess and alluvial are part of the highest quality classes, they are characterized by good physical and chemical properties: permeability, water absorption, water capacity and abundance in macro- and microelements. The population living in these areas is mainly engaged in agriculture, including the cultivation of cereals and animal husbandry, while in the lowlands it is fruit growing and vegetable growing.
The main source of pollution in the Koprzywianka catchment is area runoff from areas used for cultivation and domestic wastewater from municipal treatment plants. In addition, the susceptibility of soils to erosion causes pollution.
Specific features
Conservative agricultural practices are applied: less tillage, preserving soil properties, improving water balance through irrigation practices and ponds creation, enhancing infiltration for groundwater recharge, limitation of phosphates, nitrates and potentially metals leaching.
Relevant Users/Stakeholders
Polish Water Board, Water Authorities and Basin Management
Used tools
The site is planned to be modelled with the MIKE SHE framework in the whole catchment scale. The main scenario involves conservative agricultural practices to improve soil moisture conditions and hence soil fertility and to reduce pollutants into groundwater.
Lead
Warsaw University of Life Sciences
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.