Sustainable Spring Water Extraction—A Remedy to Water Shortage?

Beata Ferencz () and Jarosław Dawidek
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Beata Ferencz: Department of Hydrobiology and Protection of Ecosystems, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 13 Akademicka St., 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Jarosław Dawidek: Department of Hydrology and Climatology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Kraśnicka 2CD, 20-718 Lublin, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: This study addresses a key challenge in water resource management, focusing on spring water. Rapidly increasing water demand, owing to population growth and shifting climate conditions, threatens water availability. Although springs are vital and renewable, they remain largely untapped sources of freshwater worldwide. This study aims to estimate the volume of spring water that can be sustainably extracted from selected catchments without causing environmental harm. It is assumed that substantial water volumes can be withdrawn from catchments where aquifers consist of Cretaceous or Tertiary sediments. By applying the Threshold Level Method (TLM), the study ensures that extraction adherence to environmental flow requirements, thereby helping to protect surrounding aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Assuming a daily per capita water use of 0.2 m 3 , the surplus spring water identified could meet the needs of approximately 881,545 people, whereas the study area’s population slightly exceeds 1.2 million. These findings support sustainable water management efforts and advance progress toward UN Sustainable Development Goal 6. The results demonstrate that sustainable spring water use can help reduce groundwater overexploitation and maintain ecological integrity.

Keywords: groundwater resources management; spring water sustainable extraction; karst aquifers; water demand; water stress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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