Untypical Draining Barriers Efficiency as a Method of Pollutants Limiting in the Groundwater Reservoir

The main aim of the paper was to formulate a proposal of using the draining barriers as a method of limiting pollutants in the groundwater reservoir. Primary processes of pollutants migration and examples of functioning the draining barriers work against the spread of various pollutants in the groundwater were indicated. An untypical kind of draining barrier, i.e. wells which were designed as a hydrogeological borehole to exhaust water intended for consumption, was selected as the research object. For analytical purposes, the available archival results of the physicochemical analysis of groundwater exhausted from the wells, located in the water intake so-called “belt D” in Kraków-Nowa Huta were used. The database was analysed by specialist programs, and the dispersion migration of pollutants from the existing metallurgical waste dump “Ruszcza” in time was presented. Temporary and spatial variability of the physicochemical parameters of groundwater was done during the analysis. The analysis was performed both in the draining barriers wells and in the intake boreholes. A geostatistical analysis of the variability of pollutant spread in the groundwater medium was a vital factor in the appraisal efficiency of the draining barriers operation. It was shown that the highest contents of the researched substances were present in the wells, which are located the nearest of metallurgical waste dump “Ruszcza” and are thereby the wells co-forming draining barriers. The efficiency of draining barriers was found after a thorough analysis.