The paper discusses the discharge of highly concentrated alkaline wastewater from an industrial reservoir and its effect on surface waters. The discharge source is the Górka industrial reservoir, located in Trzebinia. The wastewater constitutes a threat to groundwater, which serves as a source of drinking water for surrounding villages. A detailed analysis of pH confirmed a high alkalinity of the tank content; the pH values were in the range of 12.5 to 13.5. Other water quality parameters (COD, sulfates, chlorides, TSS) were also very high. Initially, wastewater was discharged to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Chrzanów. Then, since the plant had refused further treatment due to operational disturbances, wastewater had to be discharged directly to the Chechło and Ropa creeks and finally to the Vistula river. A simultaneous monitoring of the water quality in these streams was provided. Wastewater discharged from the Górka reservoir was gradually diluted on its way to the Vistula river and therefore its impact on the Vistula river has been insignificant. The method turned out to be both effective and safe for the aquatic environment.

The article discusses the occurrence of selected cytostatic drugs in the aquatic environment. The authors start with a preliminary introduction to the characteristics of the most commonly used cytostatic drugs. Then, based on the review of the literature they show that such drugs occur in small amounts in an aqueous medium and that there is no reliable research data on the long-term exposure of aquatic organisms to cytostatics. Until now, the studies on the stability of some cytostatics showed that these compounds were extremely stable, not only in natural waters, but also at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In spite of the advanced treatment technologies used at wastewater treatment plants, cytostatics pass relatively easily through the treatment line and end up in surface waters, thus posing a threat to water quality.

This paper presents the variability of the quantity and specific composition of the sludge produced at two different surface water treatment plants ‒ the Raba water treatment plant (WTP), collecting water from an artificial reservoir; and the Rudawa WTP, collecting running surface water. The authors analyzed the differences in the amount and characteristics of sludge and tried to relate them to specific technological systems in use at the treatment plants. The paper mainly focuses on heavy metals removed from the water and then trapped in the sludge. The aim of the work was to describe changes that involved both the quantity of sludge and its characteristics, especially with respect to its further disposal (e.g. heavy metals, etc.). Additionally, some aspects of an activated carbon dosing regime and its impact on a heavy metal content in sludge were discussed.

A decrease in the flow of the downstream stretch of the Białucha river (also known as Prądnik) has been determined based on the calculations of groundwater inflow to the Białucha riverbed completed for the Ojców‒Giebułtów‒ Olsza stretch using the Wundt and Kille methods. Hydrogeological analysis of this phenomenon revealed that the water is lost at the point where the Prądnik leaves the Proszowice Plateau and enters the Vistula Plain as the Białucha. The reason for the water outflow from the riverbed is the relatively low groundwater level in the alluvia of the Vistula ice-marginal valley. Upstream from this point, groundwater is supplied to the river in a narrow valley eroded in rocky ground, while downstream water flows out into a thick aquifer drained by the Vistula river that is situated much lower in this area. A similar phenomenon is observed at the mouths of most tributaries of the upper Vistula. This problem is discussed in detail in the master’s thesis by Iwona Podraza [6].

The paper focuses on changes in water demand within the water supply zone in Krakow. The analyzed time periods include the 90s of the last century and the years 2007‒2012. Based on measurements of the size and variability of water demand, changes in daily water consumption within the week were analyzed and compared with the reference distribution. Both the results and research methodology can be used to update the guidelines for design and simulation of the water supply systems operation.

Hydrochemical profiles were used to create a spatiotemporal hydrochemical analysis of a watercourse. This method is based on the correlation between the concentration of pollutants and the intensity of water flow in the watercourse. It is a method that allows for an analysis of qualitative and quantitative changes of pollutants occurring in the watercourse. The paper describes the steps to be followed to obtain hydrochemical profiles of the watercourse. The function of time has been introduced in order to illustrate the analysis in a three-dimensional way. All of the profiles are shown in one graph, where qualitative and quantitative changes are visible within water levels at a specified time interval. The results are presented as graphs allowing for the classification of the course due to water quality, showing the hydrochemical shell in the watercourse during the year.

This article describes methods for control over geometry of tanks made of precast panels tensioned circumferentially with external tendons. Certain advantages and disadvantages of applied engineering methods for measurement, along with reasons for necessity to apply more accurate geodetic survey methods are discussed. An example of optimal, according to the author of this article, geodetic technology for control over panel assembly and monitoring of panels tensioning, including relevant study, have been detailed.

Plastic waste is material that can not only be repeatedly processed into other products, but also the energy contained within it can be recovered through burning. This article presents an installation for the thermal utilization of waste plastics. The installation allows for the production of high energy fuel from waste polyolefin.