In the article the possible conflict between the two basic functions of groundwater imposed by EU directives: drinking water supply and environmental role, is indicated. Environmental Water Requirements to maintain good ecological status of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems mean the same as environmental flow in the case of rivers. The Polish proposals of the environmental flow definitions and methodologies for its value identification are presented. These proposals are intended to increase the environmental flow rate to the value which corresponds to groundwater outflow. This means in practice that the renewable resources of groundwater are reduced to zero. The idea of groundwater environmental flow is proposed. The main aims of groundwater environmental flow are protecting the groundwater resources against the overexploitation and the groundwater table against permanent dropping in the areas of Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems.

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