An assessment of the influence of waste products of the Gomel chemical works (GCW) on the natural water conditions is necessary to minimize its adverse impact on the underground hydrosphere. The importance of similar research is caused by the groundwater usage as the main source of domestic and drinking water supply in the town of Gomel and its neighbouring settlements. The results of field hydrogeological investigations performed by the authors were used to assess the influence of monitored chemical pollutants upon the present-day surface water and groundwater conditions in the GCW area. A comparison of the results obtained with previous data has revealed the main trends of distribution of pollutants within the GCW sanitary protection zone. This permits location of the pollution areas and indentification of major point sources of water pollution. The analysis of the groundwater flow and pollution spreading dynamics suggests that the operation of test boreholes made for the pollution area restriction within the industrial area and for the stabilization, or even decrease of the pollution extent within the sanitary protection zone. The results of studying the main directions of the groundwater flow and pollution spreading were used to develop recommendations for optimization of the local monitoring network under technical requirements by decreasing the number of operating boreholes from 32 to 16.
