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Water Quality and Management Changes Over the History of Poland

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Abstract

Poland is one of the countries distinguished by a long and colorful past. Undergoing numerous turbulent socio-economic changes forced by the course of history, Poland is now one of the member states of the European Union. Experiencing low water quantity and high contamination levels in surface waters, Poland is following other EU countries in the effort to reach a “good” water status. Herein are presented impacts of changes in Polish history on water legislation, management, and research, as well as explanations for the perceptible split between engineering and scientific approaches to the aquatic issues. Drawbacks caused by unsatisfactory state research funding for the sciences and division of the water related contemporary scientific interests are also discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This paper has benefited greatly from discussions with Janusz Dominik, Colin van Overdijk, and Pawel Wilk; and also comments of anonymous reviewers.

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  1. Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, A. Mickiewicza Av. 30, 30-059, Kraków, Poland

    Ewa Szalinska

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  1. Ewa Szalinska
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Correspondence to Ewa Szalinska.

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Szalinska, E. Water Quality and Management Changes Over the History of Poland. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 100, 26–31 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2226-z

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