Aim of the study:
The study analysed some of the spatial conditions and predicted pressures on the environment of selected planned projects in the Lubelskie Voivodeship involving open-pit sand and gravel mining, for which applications were submitted for the decisions on environmental conditions, indexed in the GDOŚ EIA Database, between Nov 2019 and Dec 2024.

Material and methods:
Publicly available documents contained in the EIA Database of GDOŚ and spatial data of PIG–PIB (Raw materials ̶ mineral deposits); GDOŚ (forms of nature protection); GUGiK (BDOT10k, orthophotomap, agricultural soil map; Land and Building Register); PGW WP (river water bodies, Flood Hazard Map, Flood Risk Map) were used. Spatial data were processed in QGIS 3.34.5 Prizren. Statistical analyses were performed in MS Excel. The most important environmental impacts were summarised in the Leopold matrix.

Results and conclusions:
All surveyed deposits had an area below 25 ha, the planned mines were therefore classified as projects potentially significantly affecting the environment, for which the necessity of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) is verified by the competent authority. Having analysed the location and exploitation impact of the deposits, it was found that the sand and gravel deposits studied in the Lubelskie Voivodeship were situated in areas of low agricultural value, outside woodland, away from surface waters and wetlands, and with relatively little impact on protected natural areas. In most cases, no EIA was required. This indicated that investors preferred to exploit deposits which entailed minimal time-consuming and costly legal or organisational requirements. This approach had clear environmental benefits, reducing pressure on valuable areas.