Bulletin of Geography. Physical Geography Series, No. 12 (2017): 5–17 http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bgeo-2017-0001 Hydrographic changes in a river system and their influence on the legal classification of watercourses, exemplified by selected ISSN 2080-7686 tributaries of the San river Katarzyna Kubiak-Wójcicka1*, Sławomir Brózda1, Agnieszka Sznajder2 1 Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland 2 Maria Curie Skłodowska University, Poland * Correspondence: Department of Hydrology and Water Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland. E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract. The paper presents hydrographic changes in a river system and their influence on the le- gal classification of watercourses in Poland. As a case study, the watercourse Motwica, right tribu- tary of the river San has been analysed. The main objective of this paper is an attempt to analyse whether the Motwica should be classified as flowing or standing water and the legal grounds for Key words: such classification in the Water Law Act. On the base of archival and contemporary cartographic ma- hydrographic changes, terials’ analysis it has been determined that the Motwica should not be classified as natural water- classification of watercources, course because its significant part flows in an artificial channel. the Water Law Act, Motwica Introduction and water-covered land. The current normative defi- nition of flowing and standing waters in Poland is considered to be imprecise. Kubiak-Wójcicka and Water resources are the most important compo- Marszelewski (2012) express a similar view, pointing nent of the geographic environment responsible for to the fact that from a hydrological perspective this the development of civilisation (Kowalczak 2008).