EN
Paper evaluates the quality of surface and ground water resources in Poland, especially on rural areas. The quality of water in main Polish rivers was found to be rather low because of bacterial contamination from municipal sewage. Similar situation is observed in small rivers and ditches on rural areas. The quality of ground water, especially of shallow ground water used for drinking purposes shows the low quality on rural areas. Such a state has not been changed significantly for a few recent years. In some regions, more then 50% shallow wells are polluted not only by the nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) but also by bacteria. The contamination of water on rural areas is mostly due to inappropriate sewage and waste management, a lack of animal waste stores and their improper handling.