Sulphur Mine “Piaseczno” – vol. 1. Historical Query of 1958–2012, Geology and Hydrology of the Mine Region, Reclamation

Abstract

Two post-mining excavations (relics of sulphur mining), nowadays filled with water are characteristic elements of the landscape in the Tarnobrzeg Region. They became historic and permanent trace of open-cast mining in Piaseczno (left bank of the Vistula River) in 1958–1971 and Machów (right bank of the Vistula River) in 1970–1992. The process of the reclamation of the excavation in Machów ended successfully and the water body became a popular place of leisure and recreation for the residents of the town and the vicinity. Unfortunately, in case of the excavation in Piaseczno, despite many years of liquidation and reclamation works, regaining utility values and ecological values in these areas has not been accomplished yet. There is still real risk of mass land movements of watered ground in the area above the water table, which limits the possibility of adapting the water body for any other purposes than retention and ecological reclamation. Despite short 13-years’ history of mining sulphur and nearly 10 years of mining the Baranów sands, the Sulphur Mine “Piaseczno” has interesting history, due to the mining activities (stages: exploitation, liquidation and reclamation) and the forces of nature, which make a serious problem in the process of completing the works to bring back the utilitarian values of the areas of already non-existing mining area. Based on the analysis and post-processing of the available archival cartographic materials while using information tool (Surfer, AutoCAD), it was possible to make detail parameters of the water body Piaseczno and prove the impact of reclamation works and natural phenomena (mass movements) on the shape of the lake bowl and water scarps of the excavation.