How do Poles view water quality? A nationwide opinion poll is underway

How do we assess the condition of Poland’s rivers and lakes? Do we know what processes affect water quality and what actions can improve it? Scientists conducting a nationwide public survey on perceptions of water quality are trying to answer these questions. More than 700 people have already filled out the survey, but more respondents are needed to make the results more representative.

The state of surface water is one of the key topics in the environmental debate in Poland. In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about pollution, cyanobacteria blooms or the effects of intensive catchment area use. The environmental disaster on the Oder River in 2022, which drew public attention to the vulnerability of river ecosystems, also had a big impact on the public perception of water problems. At the same time, water quality is not just a matter of chemical or biological parameters. It is also important how the state of rivers, lakes and marine bodies of water is perceived by their users and the public.

This is the subject of an ongoing social survey on water quality in Poland.

What do we know about public perceptions of water quality?

Although the survey is still in progress, the first responses show some interesting trends. Respondents are relatively cognizant of the problem of eutrophication, which is the excessive enrichment of waters with nutrients, leading to algae and cyanobacteria blooms, among other things. Many survey participants are also able to identify the main causes of this phenomenon, such as the influx of nutrients from agriculture or municipal wastewater.

At the same time, the results suggest that knowledge of possible ways to counter eutrophication is already much less widespread. This is especially true of the so-called Nature-based Solutions (NbS), which are increasingly appearing in discussions about water management and environmental protection.

These solutions involve using natural processes and ecosystems to improve water quality and reduce environmental pressures. These can include wetland restoration, stream restoration or the creation of buffer zones in agricultural landscapes. Although their importance is increasingly emphasized in environmental and climate policy, they are still relatively rare in the practice of water and landscape management.

Why is public opinion important?

Opinion polls provide a better understanding of how the public perceives environmental problems and what solutions they consider most needed or acceptable. In the case of water quality, this is particularly important because rivers and lakes serve multiple functions simultaneously: they are a source of water, a place for recreation, an element of the landscape and an important natural habitat.

Perceptions of their condition can vary depending on the experiences of residents, water users or the region. That’s why it’s important to gather as broad a set of opinions as possible.

The study is being carried out as part of the international CREATE project, which involves, among others, researchers from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. The project is part of the Water4All partnership – a European water resources research program under the Horizon Europe program, co-financed in Poland by the National Center for Research and Development. One of the goals of the initiative is to better understand the relationship between the state of the water environment and public perceptions of water conservation issues.

More votes needed

To date, more than 700 people have already completed the survey, but to get a more representative picture of public opinion, the researchers would like to reach out to At least 1 thousand respondents .

Participation in the survey is anonymous, and it takes about 10 minutes to complete the questionnaire. The organizers emphasize that they are keen to reach not only water or environmental professionals, but also everyone who has contact with rivers and lakes – during recreation, tourism or everyday life.

Take part in the study