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. 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 basin Koprzywianka River is characterized by a typical agricultural landscape, with extensive areas of arable land, grasslands, orchards, and forests. The Koprzywianka catchment area has an upland landscape in its middle and upper sections, transitioning into lowland at the river’s, with a a temperate climate. The geological structure of the Koprzywianka catchment area is complex. This is the eastern part of the structure known as the Świętokrzyskie anticlinorium, within which several structural units are distinguished. On the north side there Cambrian rocks, and 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, there is the Klimontów anticlinorium, which is formed by Palaeozoic formations, covered with Neogene formations in the south-western part of the catchment.
In the area of the Koprzywianka catchment there are the most fertile soils in the country. The dominant types are fertile brown and chernozem. 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.
Purpose of the sites within the PHISHES project
The main goals of the project studies on the Koprzywianka River are:
- Assess the overall impact of point‑source and aerial pollution on the river basin under current conditions, using baseline time‑series data.
- Evaluate how adaptation measures in agriculture affect the system, including soil treatment, improvements in soil condition, changes in farming practices, and their influence on the ecological cycle.
- Develop mitigation strategies for heavy metal pollution, which is regularly monitored by the Water Authority at their gauging stations.
Used tools
MIKE SHE was selected for the development of the Koprzywianka catchment model, to simulate heavy metals leaching from soils. Learn more.
Relevant Users/Stakeholders
Polish Water Board, Water Authorities and Basin Management
Lead
Warsaw University of Life Sciences: learn more.