The city’s location, catchment morphology and development reduce water retentiveness in the landscape. The effects of these activities are especially pronounced in small urban catchments, where streams and rivers are channelized for stormwater detention according to traditional engineering rules. As listed by Bocian and Zawilski (2005), disturbances of the water cycle in Lodz include the acceleration of surface flow and increase of flood peaks; a decrease of groundwater recharge; and decrease of extent and duration time of low flows.