This paper describes the complex hydrogeological, legal framework and socioeconomic costs of the groundwater protection in major groundwater basins (MGBs) in Poland in accordance with European directives. The hydrogeological criteria developed in Poland for establishing MGBs and the principles of their protection provide more details to the directives that are in force in Europe, which define the general principles for groundwater protection. The procedure of establishing MGB protection zones is connected with a change in local plans and land development and requires an analysis of the cost–benefit relationship in the sphere of social economy in the sector of public economics. The cost assessment was performed on the basis of data from hydrogeological documentations, and the aggregation of subareas to which the same existing and planned development can be attributed. A legal analysis of bans, orders and restrictions together with the identification of the risk of claims in specific hydrogeological and development conditions was a fundamental issue of research. These costs depend on the acreage and land use of the protected area. The unit costs of MGB protection, calculated per 1 km² of the protection area, for six sample basins were estimated at €120 to €208,000/2 years/1 km². The highest costs are generated by establishing protection in urban areas, while the lowest costs are generated in forest areas.

本文根据欧洲指令描述了波兰主要地下水盆地（MGB）中地下水保护的复杂水文地质，法律框架和社会经济成本。波兰制定的用于建立MGB的水文地质标准及其保护原则为欧洲现行的指令提供了更多细节，这些指令定义了地下水保护的一般原则。建立MGB保护区的程序与地方计划和土地开发的变化有关，并且需要分析公共经济学领域中社会经济领域的成本－收益关系。费用评估是根据水文地质文件中的数据进行的，以及可以归因于相同的现有和计划开发的分区的集合。对禁令，命令和限制进行法律分析，以及确定特定水文地质和开发条件下的索偿风险是研究的基本问题。这些费用取决于保护区的面积和土地使用。MGB保护的单位成本，每1公里计算保护区²的面积为6个，估计为120欧元至208,000欧元/ 2年/ 1 km ²。通过在城市地区建立保护产生最高的成本，而在森林地区产生最低的成本。