Riverbank filtration allows river water to be used for drinking water production through natural processes occurring in sand and gravel deposits. Can the commissioning of a small hydropower plant near a riverbank filtration site affect this process? Research conducted at Kępa Bogumiłowicka, near Tarnów, by hydrogeologists from the University of Silesia in Katowice and the Technical University of Munich illustrates how water infrastructure projects can affect groundwater systems.
Following the commissioning of the hydropower plant in 2024, the researchers observed changes in groundwater levels and chemical composition. Increased concentrations of micropollutants were also detected in some wells, potentially indicating changes in the conditions that favour the natural attenuation of these contaminants. However, the researchers emphasise that the observed changes may also have been influenced by earthworks carried out during the construction of the hydropower plant.
The findings show that even relatively small water infrastructure projects can affect not only the river itself, but also adjacent groundwater and water abstraction sites supplying drinking water. They also highlight the importance of monitoring water quality and taking such sites into account when assessing the environmental impacts of water infrastructure projects.
The findings have been published in the journal Water Resources and Industry.
The open-access publication is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wri.2026.100405
Reference: Krzysztof Janik
Note author: Krzysztof Janik