Summary:

Water plays an important role in the processes present in ecosystems, and constitutes the essential abiotical part of the environment. As a resource which is renewable and changeable in time, the water performs numerous management functions. The nature of those particular functions requires that water is not only protected from contamination, but also economically managed as well. The qualitative and quantitative protection of water resources constitutes and integral part of environmental protection.
The present paper describes water-sewage management in Drwinia Commune in Krakow Region (Bochnia Powiat). Particular emphasis is laid on correct management of the water resources available, the quality of surface and underground water resources and the sewage management. The assessment of water management is preceded by the description of the commune itself, in terms of its local development, demography, usage and climate. By analysing the data, it has become possible to state that, although Drwinia Commune possesses sufficient water resources (except for drought periods), the quality of such resources allows them neither to be used for drinking purposes - without prior treatment - nor for farm use. The water resources available include in first row flowing surface waters and underground quaternary waters. The lack of sufficiently developed water supply facilities and incorrect water-sewage management are the reasons for high contamination of water resources in the commune. The data analysed relate to the period until 2004.
At present, the water-sewage management in Drwinia Commune is carried out incorrectly and high contamination of both surface and underground water persists. Most of the commune's area is not provided with complete water supply and sewerage systems. Large quantities of zinc, used for production of pesticides, indicate that the main sources of contamination are the agricultural activity and living of people. The sewage stored mostly in septic tanks, instead of being treated in treatment plants, is dumped to ditches, fields or to local water streams. The septic tanks often leak.