Geographia Polonica (1984) vol. 50
Influence of dam reservoirs on changes of water conditions in the Lower Vistula -valley
Geographia Polonica (1984) vol. 50, pp. 283-296 | 
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Abstract
Building of river cascade results in significant changes in the geographic environment.Hydrological conditions and the course of river channel processes and on by--reservoir areas also water, microclimatic, pedologie and vegetation conditions undergotransformation. The degree of human interference into environment depends, firstof all, on technical parameters of cascades, local geomorphological, hydrologicaland pedological conditions and on applied methods of counteracting negativeconsequences of the river impoundment.
The interest in the river cascade influence on environment arose in Poland onlyin 1950s. Cascades constructed, first of all. in mountain and submontane regionsand few objects of such type on lowland rivers, were comprised with the respectiveinvestigations. One of these objects is the Włocławek dam on the Vistula givenover to operation in 1970, which constitutes the first link of the planned LowerVistula cascade.
Two variants of the hydrotechnical structure on the Lower Vistula are discussedin the paper. Results of many-year investigations on the Włocławek dam influenceon environment, and particularly on hydrological conditions of the river and ofadjoining areas, are presented. An attempt to determine changes in water conditionsof the Lower Vistula valley after completion of building of the cascade was undertaken.
, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Kopernika 19, 87-100 Toruń, Poland