The Widawka river, the right-handed tributary of the Warta river, distinguishes itself for the presence of meadows and other permanent plant communities, which occur along both its entire flood and meadow terraces. In its upper course, the river accepts waters from deep draining of the Bełchatów brown coal mine. The main objective of the performed investigations was to determine the extent and causes of variations in the mineral composition of waters in the Widawka river, while, simultaneously, controlling the quality of mine waters. Results of our investigations indicate that waters of the Widawka river meet all the requirements of first class surface waters with regard to such mineral constituents as: nitrate nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, chlorides and sulphates. The chemical composition of the Widawka river waters is influenced by the plant cover of areas directly adjacent to this watercourse, in particular, by permanent meadow and forest communities. That is why these plant communities must not be destroyed or transformed into arable land. Waters from deep draining of the Bełchatów brown coal mine modify the mineral composition of the Widawka river waters but this modification does not pose a serious threat to the quality of these waters. Nonetheless, mine waters must be safe also with regard to compounds that were not investigated in our studies if the discharge of these waters into the Widawka river is to be continued. Agricultural utilisation of the Widawka river valley should be restricted and plough cultivation is not recommended. Production of consumer crops and forage should be confined to soils characterised by high natural fertility situated outside inundation areas. The level of management on permanent meadows should be adjusted to their natural production potentials and take into account their sustainability. Meadow enclaves, which were turned into arable land in the past, ought to be restored to their original use. Taking into consideration all its values and attractions, the Widawka river valley can be considered as a particularly valuable area characterised by considerable touristic and recreational potentials. However, in order to avoid radical changes in its landscape, recreational and agro-touristic infrastructure should be confined to the existing towns and villages.
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