Baia Mare area represents one of the most important mining areas of Romania. Although the mining activities carried out here are currently inactive (since 2012), they generated residual pollution that negatively influences all the environmental factors. The aim of the study is to evaluation of the quality of surface water from the vicinity of the city of Baia Mare, Romania. The surface water samples, collected in two distinct years (2021 and 2022), were analyzed to determine the concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, Fe, Mn, and As) in order to establish the degree of contamination and the water quality through heavy metal evaluation index (HEI), heavy metal pollution index (HPI), and water quality index (WQI). The pH and the content of cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K) and anions (HCO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, Cl⁻) were also determined for complex characterization. The results showed that the water in the area had a high degree of pollution with high concentrations of Cr: 0.165–1.57 mgL⁻¹, Ni: 0.01–0.718 mgL⁻¹, and Cu: 0.036–0.195 mgL⁻¹. The pollution indices showed an average level of heavy metal pollution for the collected surface water samples. The quality index demonstrated that all surface water samples in the study area were unfit for irrigation and drinking due to poor and very poor water quality.

Mining-affected soils differ markedly in their physicochemical properties and metal loads, complicating the selection of plant material for phytoremediation. This study evaluated Brassica oleracea var. acephala ‘Pigeon’ growth across 14 mining-affected soils and a growth reference commercial substrate, followed by a site-specific pilot field assessment on a selected multi-metal-contaminated soil from Cavnic, Romania. Plant establishment, vegetative performance, pooled plant mass, and metal partitioning were assessed under controlled and field conditions. Plant responses varied strongly among soils, and final germination at 30 days after sowing did not reliably predict subsequent vegetative performance. On the selected Cavnic soil, establishment was lower in the field than under controlled conditions, whereas plants that established in situ attained greater final size. Within the seven selected field-grown plants, root-associated concentrations exceeded aboveground concentrations for Cu, Zn, Pb, and Mn. The results show that multi-soil laboratory screening and field assessment capture complementary biological components of plant performance.