Impact Assessment of Mining Dewatering on Vegetation Based on Satellite Image Analysis and the NDVI Index—A Case Study of a Chalk Mine

The exploitation of mineral resources often necessitates groundwater drainage, which may impact surrounding ecosystems, particularly vegetation. In this study, the effects of passive drainage in the Kornica-Popówka chalk mine in eastern Poland were analyzed using Sentinel-2 satellite images and the NDVI vegetation index. Groundwater monitoring wells were used to delineate the extent of the depression cone, representing areas of potentially altered hydrological conditions. NDVI values were analyzed across multiple time points between 2023 and 2024 to assess the condition of vegetation both inside and outside the depression cone. The results indicate no significant difference in NDVI values during the 2023–2024 study period for this specific chalk mine case between areas affected and unaffected by the depression cone, suggesting that vegetation in this region is not experiencing stress due to lowered groundwater levels. This outcome highlights the influence of other environmental factors, such as rainfall and land use, and suggests that the local geological structure allows plants to maintain sufficient access to water despite hydrological alterations. This study confirms the utility of integrating remote sensing with hydrogeological data in environmental monitoring and underlines the need for continued observation to assess long-term trends in vegetation response to mining-related groundwater changes.