Integrating Agro-Hydrological Modeling with Index-Based Vulnerability Assessment for Nitrate-Contaminated Groundwater

Dawid Potrykus, Adam Szymkiewicz (), Beata Jaworska-Szulc, Gianluigi Busico, Anna Gumuła-Kawęcka, Wioletta Gorczewska-Langner and Micol Mastrocicco
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Dawid Potrykus: Polish Geological Institute—National Research Institute, Marine Geology Branch, Koscierska 5, 80-328 Gdansk, Poland
Adam Szymkiewicz: Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Beata Jaworska-Szulc: Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Gianluigi Busico: Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via A. Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Anna Gumuła-Kawęcka: Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Wioletta Gorczewska-Langner: Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Micol Mastrocicco: Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via A. Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy

Sustainability, 2026, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-28

Abstract: Protecting groundwater against pollution from agricultural sources is a key aspect of sustainable management of soil and water resources. Implementation of sustainable strategies for agricultural production can be supported by modeling tools, which allow us to quantify the effects of different agricultural practices in the context of groundwater vulnerability to contamination. In this study we present a method to assess groundwater vulnerability to nitrate pollution based on a combination of the SWAT agro-hydrological model and the DRASTIC index method. SWAT modeling was applied to assess different scenarios of agricultural practices and identify solutions for sustainable management of soil and groundwater and reduction of nitrate pollution. The developed method was implemented for groundwater resources in a study area (Puck Bay region, southern Baltic coast), which represented a complex multi-aquifer system formed in Quaternary fluvioglacial deposits (sand and gravel) separated by moraine tills. In order to investigate the effects of different agricultural practices, 12 scenarios have been defined, which were grouped into four classes: crop type, fertilizer management, tillage, and grazing. An overlay index structure was applied, and ratings and weights to several factors were assigned. All analyses were processed using GIS tools, and the results are presented in the form of maps, which categorize groundwater vulnerability to nitrate pollution into five classes, ranging from very low to very high. The results reveal significant variability in groundwater vulnerability to nitrate pollution in the study area. Agricultural practices have a very strong influence on groundwater vulnerability by controlling both recharge rates and nitrogen losses from the soil profile. The most pronounced increases in vulnerability were associated with scenarios involving excessive fertilization and intensive grazing. Among crop types, potato cultivation appears to pose the greatest risk to groundwater quality.

Keywords: DRASTIC; SWAT; Puck Bay; groundwater vulnerability; sustainable agriculture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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