The study determined the loads of selected chemical components deposited by precipitation and flowing away from the area of a partly built-up microcatchment with agriculture and animal farming dominating in its land-use pattern. The research was conducted in the hydrological years 2000 and 2001 within the microcatchment of the Wronowiec watercourse, 1.60 km2 in area, situated in the western part of the Małopolska province. Water for analyses was sampled twice a month and examined for the concentrations of total suspended solids, ammonium and nitrate nitrogen, phosphates, dissolved substances, sulphates, chlorides, calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese and iron. Those values and the measured values of precipitation and outflow were used to compute the loads of the respective components. The results obtained corroborated the thesis that atmospheric precipitation constitutes an important source of non-point pollution. The loads of components carried away by outflow were larger than those delivered by rainfall, except manganese and phosphates for which the former were smaller than the latter. The results provided a further evidence to prove that rural settlement and animal farming with poor sanitation contribute substantially to the pollution of outflow waters.

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