Evaluation of infiltration rates within the Vistula River valley, central Poland

Abstract

The Vistula river valley groundwater system has a strong hydraulic connectivity with the surface waters of the Vistula River. typically, it is dominated by infiltration, and may at the same time represent a transitional system, in which lateral baseflow discharge takes place from surrounding units (e.g. plateau) to the river valley. a relatively simple mechanism of infiltration represents one of the elements of a complex water circulation system in the valley unit. the recognition of the entire recharge mechanism in a valley unit allows indicating a variable but significant role of infiltration. Evaluation of the value of infiltration on a regional scale has been made for the Vistula River valley in the Kampinoski National Park (KNP) area. Data on the spatial distribution of infiltration, averaged for a particular time interval, are indispensable e.g. for balance calculations as well as for evaluation of groundwater vulnerability to contamination. Evaluation of infiltration into the groundwater system of the KNP area was made using the following methods: meteorological and empirical methods, water table fluctuation (wtF), runoff hydrograph sub-division (bFI), and numerical simulations.