Groundwater Pollution Risk Assessment Based on Vulnerability to Pollution and Potential Impact of Land Use Forms

Our research aimed to evaluate groundwater pollution risk in the study area in southeastern Poland, that is, in an area where the hydrogeological conditions and land use forms are similar to those of European plains. The authors' own qualitative classifications of the potential impact of major forms of land use on groundwater quality and groundwater pollution risk are proposed. The degree of this risk was assessed as the sum of ratings of intrinsic vulnerability of groundwater to pollution assessed with the original DRASTIC method and ratings of the potential impact of land use. The obtained map of groundwater pollution risk showed that 0.3% of the study area was characterized as being at very high risk, 50% as high, 45% as moderate, and 4.7% as low. In a graphical manner, spatial relationships between selected factors affecting the groundwater pollution risk and the assessed degree of risk are presented. The assessment of groundwater pollution risk employing intrinsic vulnerability of groundwater to pollution and potential impact of land use forms, together with the proposed classification of groundwater pollution risk, made it possible to determine areas of high risk of groundwater pollution in the study area in an effective manner.