Water is a fundamental resource needed for human life and functioning and the environment. Water management requires a comprehensive, adaptive approach that also considers the dynamics of changes in the water management system. This is particularly important in areas where different groups of stakeholders intertwine, whose needs often contradict, which hampers effective water management, particularly in places of high natural value. This research aimed to analyze selected issues in water management in the Białka River Basin in Southern Poland. The analysis was based on a review of scientific publications, internet sources, and a survey on water management in the basin. Our research shows that the dominant issues in the study area are the flood risk and water pollution related to, among other factors, the intensive development of tourism. Moreover, the effective management of water resources is hampered by poor communication between the administration and stakeholders, which results in a low level of knowledge, negative attitudes towards nature protection, and the emergence of conflicts. The main conclusion of this paper indicates that, despite the existing social potential for implementing comprehensive water management methods, the lack of an appropriate legal framework prevents the implementation of concepts such as Adaptive Water Management.

This article covers the analysis of the impact of agricultural and municipal pollution on surface waters in a selected pilot section of the Dunajec River in Poland. The analysis was performed using the dynamic Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) model. The operational use of the WASP allows the assessment of current and future changes in water quality and the planning of measures to reduce adverse impacts on surface waters. Based on the acquired and processed data, the model simulated the impact of the pollutant supply on the water quality in the selected section. The simulations were carried out in three developed scenarios. The results of the simulations of the spread of pollutants in the riverbed show that the adopted scenarios, including an increased supply of pollutants and unfavorable hydrological conditions, will not adversely affect the operation and efficiency of the water intake. Thus in the considered cases, the risk will not reach an unacceptable level. However, a serious threat may be caused by the failure of the sewage treatment plant located in the vicinity of a water intake. The conducted analyses indicate that the WASP may have significant application potential in the risk assessment for surface water intakes.