From 7 to 10 April 2025, the 33rd Meeting of the Polish-Slovak Working Group on Protection of Boundary Waters from Pollution (OPZ) was held in Púchov, Slovakia. The aim of the meeting was to discuss and harmonise monitoring results and to prepare the annual report on the status and quality of boundary waters in 2024.

The meeting was attended by a representative of the Carpathian Branch of the State Geological Institute - NRI from Kraków, acting as groundwater expert in the Polish part of the working group.

Discussions also covered the implementation of the tasks arising from the XXIV Meeting of the Polish-Slovak Boundary Waters Commission, informing the parties of major accidents and extraordinary hazards occurring in 2024, as well as legislative changes in the field of environmental protection.

A particularly important item on the agenda was the discussion on the results of groundwater monitoring in the border area. In addition, the work plan of the OPZ Group for 2026 and materials for the XXV Meeting of the Polish-Slovak Boundary Waters Commission were prepared.

Harmonisation of water monitoring results, Polish-Slovak Working Group on the Protection of Boundary Waters against Pollution, 7 April 2025, Púchov, Slovakia. Photo by Jaroslava Urbancová

During the meeting, the managers of the Polish and Slovak parts of the OPZ Group confirmed that the assessment of the status and quality of boundary waters (both surface and groundwater) in 2024 was carried out in accordance with the Rules of Cooperation. The Polish party reported that in 2024, the PGI-NRI carried out stationary observations at 33 hydrogeological stations in accordance with the current ‘Update of the monitoring programme for groundwater bodies in the river basin system for the years 2022-2027’, carried out within the framework of the task of the State Geological Survey entitled ‘Monitoring of groundwater in the border zones of the Republic of Poland for the purpose of implementation of agreements and international cooperation’.

For its part, the Slovak party reported that the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) carried out hydrogeological observations at 51 stations in 2024, in accordance with the approved ‘Annex to the Framework Programme for Monitoring of Waters of the Slovak Republic for 2022-2027, for 2024’.

33rd Meeting of the Polish-Slovak Working Group on the Protection of Boundary Waters against Pollution, 9 April 2025, Púchov, Slovakia. Photo: Ryszard Jerzy Zwiewka

At the end of the meeting, both parties agreed that the monitoring of the boundary waters is being carried out in accordance with the approved plan for 2025 and the national monitoring programmes. No major accidents or hazards were reported within the boundary waters.

Signing of the final report for 2024 by the managers of the Polish-Slovak Working Group on the Protection of Boundary Waters against Pollution, 9 April 2025, Púchov, Slovakia. Photo by R. Patorski

An important result of the long-standing recommendations of groundwater experts from both sides, was that steps were taken to carry out a joint assessment of groundwater quality in the border area.

On 13 May 2025, employees of the PGI-NRI Carpathian Branch together with Slovakian colleagues from SHMÚ conducted a joint groundwater sampling in Bobrov, Slovakia. For planning reasons, sampling in Poland (Jablonka) was scheduled only for 2026. Both teams carried out sampling in accordance with current regulations and procedures. The results of the sampling will form the basis for inter-laboratory comparisons at the next OPZ Group meeting in 2026.

Field measurements, physical parameters of groundwater by a Polish sampling team, in Bobrov, Slovakia, 2025. Photo by R. Patorski

Polish-Slovak sampling team of PSH and SHMÚ service. Sampling of sub-Quaternary groundwater in Bobrov, Slovakia, 2025. Photo by R. Patorski

Text: Robert Patorski