Non-point pollution also contributes to the pollution of surface waters. It is a type of pollution which results from soil erosion. Many substances, such as organic, phosphorous, and nitrogen containing compounds from artificial fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides erode, along with the soils, into the surface waters. This type of pollution occurs most frequently as a result of the work done in agriculture and forestry. Another type of contamination results from atmospheric precipitation.
Salinated water is yet another surface water contaminant.
This water comes mainly from the hard-coal mines. The salt load which contaminates the surface waters amounts to approximately 9,000 tons of sulphates and chlorides per day. In the basin of the Vistula River, two-thirds of this load is carried off while the rest remains in the basin of the Oder River.