The work is an attempt to assess piped water quality in four counties located in east central Poland. Piped water was analysed for three successive years in each county. Water samples were tested for the following physical and chemical parameters: turbidity, colour, conductivity, taste, odour, pH, nitrates (III), nitrates (V), iron and manganese. They were compared with the current standard values. Preliminary data analysis included an analysis of maximum and minimum values of physical and chemical parameters, and it revealed that turbidity, colour, iron and manganese contents exceeded the permissible standards in all the counties. Percentages of parameters exceedances and mean values of the exceedances were used to rank the counties in terms of water quality. The ranking was obtained by means of multidimensional comparative analysis. It was demonstrated that best quality water was supplied by Węgrów County water supply system which was followed by Mińsk Mazowiecki County. The third rank was assigned to Łosice County and the poorest quality water was found to be supplied by Siedlce County water supply system.
The objective of the paper is to use life cycle assessment to compare environmental impact of different technologies used in the process of water disinfection. Two scenarios are developed for water disinfection life cycle at ZUW Raba water treatment plant: (1) historical, in which gaseous chlorine is used as a disinfectant and (2) actual, in which UV radiation and electrolytically generated sodium hypochlorite are used for that purpose. Primary data is supplemented with ecoinvent 3 database records. Environmental impact is assessed by IMPACT2002+ method and its midpoint and endpoint indicators that are calculated with the use of SimaPro 8.4 software. The focus of the assessment is on selected life cycle phases: disinfection process itself and the water distribution process that follows. The assessment uses the data on flows and emissions streams as observed in the Raba plant. As the results of primal analysis show, a change of disinfectant results in quantitative changes in THMs and free chlorine in water supplied to the water supply network. The results of analysis confirm the higher potential of THMs formation and higher environmental impact of the combined method of UV/NaClO disinfection in distribution phase and in whole life cycle, mainly due to the increase of human toxicity factors. However, during the disinfection phase, gaseous chlorine use is more harmful for environment. But the final conclusion states that water quality indicators are not significant in the context of LCA, while both disinfection and distribution phases are concerned.
Chemical industries in Onitsha urban area of southeastern Nigeria have been discharging large quantities of effluents into surface streams. These streams are the primary sources of water used by poor households for domestic purposes. This study examines the effects of effluents on the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the recipient streams. This objective was achieved by collecting eight effluents and twenty-two water samples from control points, discharge lo-cations and exit chutes of the effluents for analysis. The results of the study characterised the effluents and their effects on the recipient streams. The effluents cause gross pollution of the streams as most of the parameters including pH, total dis-solved solids (TDS), turbidity, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Mg, NO3, Fe, Cu, Pb, Cr, total heterotrophic count (THC) and total coliform group (TCG) returned high values that exceeded the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) benchmark from 2011 for drinking water quality. Only dissolved oxygen (DO), Na, Zn, Ca, and Na returned values lower than the WHO guideline. E. coli was found in all the samples; TCG was also high. This paper, there-fore, recommends that the effluent generating industries should treat their effluents before disposal.
Water quality is an important criterion for evaluating the suitability of water for drinking and domestic purpose. The main objective of this study was to investigate the physicochemical characterization of groundwater for drinking water con-sumption. Ten captured sources were selected from three aquifers including the Guelma Mio-Plio-Quaternary alluvial ba-sin; the Senonian Heliopolis Neritic limestone aquifer, and the Eocene limestones of Ras El Agba-Sellaoua aquifer. The analyses concerned the periods of high water in May 2017 and low water in August 2017. Twelve parameters were deter-mined for the water samples: pH, T (°C), EC, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl–, HCO3–, SO42–, NO3–, TH (hydrotimetric degree), TAT (total alkalinity titration). The interpretation of the various analytical results allowed the determination of the chemical facies and the classification of the groundwater aquifers as follows: (i) in the alluvial layer, the gypsiferous marl substratum and the clays of the three terraces (high, medium and low) have given the water a chlorinated calcium chemical facies in the east part of the study area and travertines feeding partly alluvial layer, and have given a bicarbonated calcium water facies in the west, (ii) in the Senonian of Heliopolis limestone and Eocene carbonate formations of Ras El Agba- -Sellaoua, the chemical facies are calcium bicarbonate. Water isotopes (δ18O and δD) helped to determine the origin of groundwater. Overall, the groundwater in the area is hard and has significant to excessive mineralization. It is progressivelydegraded in the direction of flow, especially in the Guelma alluvial aquifer.
In order to evaluate the water quality of the Hauterivian groundwater in the zinc deposit of Chaabet el Hamra, Southern Setif region, Algeria, eighteen physico-chemical parameters such as pH, EC, TDS, Cl−, SO42−, HCO3−, CO32−, NO3−, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, and heavy metals Zn, Pb, Fe, Cr, Cd, Mn were analyzed and collected from six different wells in April 2012. The studied groundwater is dominated by HCO3−, Ca2+, and Mg2+ ions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Algerian standards, all groundwater samples are considered safe and fit for drinking as they fall within the permissible limits. In addition, the Schoeller diagram confirms the best quality water of the Hauterivian groundwater. Gibbs diagram show that the predominant samples fall in the rock-water interaction field, suggesting that water-rock inter-actions are the major mechanism controlling groundwater chemistry. Assessment of groundwater samples using various water quality indices such as sodium absorption ratio (SAR), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), magnesium hazard (MH) and Kelly ratio (KR) showed that the groundwater in the area has an excellent quality for irrigation purpose. According to Wilcox’s diagram, all groundwater samples fall in the C2S1 category, reflecting that they are suitable for irrigation.
To investigate and assess the effects of land use and its changes on concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Fe) in the tributary of drinking water reservoir catchment, soils of different land use types (forest, arable land, meadows and pastures, residential areas), suspended sediment and bottom sediment were collected. Heavy metals were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The metal distribution pattern was observed, where Zn and Cd could be considered as main metal contaminants. The variation in the concentration level of Zn and Cd in studied soils showed the impact of pollution from anthropogenic activities. Also some seasonal variations were visible among the suspended sediment and bottom sediment samples which could be associated with land agricultural practices or meteorological conditions. The sediment fingerprints approach used for determining sources of the suspension in the catchment showed (Kruskal-Wallis H test, p<0.05), that only Mn and Ni were not able to be distinguished among the potential sediment sources. A multiple linear regression model described the relationship between suspended sediment and 4 types of soil samples. The results related suspended composition mostly to the samples from the residential land use. Considering the contemporary trend of observed changes in land use resulting in conversion of agricultural areas into residential and service structures these changes can be essential for the contamination of aquatic environment. This situation is a warning sign due to the rapid industrialization, urbanization and intensive agriculture in this region what can significantly affect the drinking water quality.
Geological carbon dioxide storing should be carried out with the assumption that there are no leakages from the storage sites. However, regardless of whether the gas which is injected in leaks from the storage site or not, the carbon dioxide stored will influence the environment. In a tight storage site the carbon dioxide injected in will dissolve in the reservoir liquids (groundwater and oil) and react with the rocks of the storage formation. Dissolving CO2 in underground water will result in the change of its pH and chemism. The reactions with the rock matrix of the storage site will not only trigger changes in its mineralogical composition, but also in the petrophysical parameters, because of the precipitation and dissolution of minerals. A leakage of CO2 from its storage site can trigger off changes in the composition of soil air and groundwater, influence the development of plants, and in case of sudden and large leaks it will pose a threat for people and animals. Carbon dioxide can cause deterioration of the quality of drinking waters related to the rise in their mineralization (hardness) and the mobilization of heavymetals' cations. A higher content of this gas in soil leads to a greater acidity and negatively affects plants. A carbon dioxide concentration of ca. 20-30% is a critical value for plants above which they start to die. The influence of high concentrations of carbon dioxide on the human organism depends on the concentration of gas, exposure time and physiological factors. CO2 content in the air of up to 1.5% does not provoke any side effects in people. A concentration of over 3% has a number of negative effects, such as: higher respiratory rate, breathing difficulties, headaches, loss of consciousness. Concentrations higher than 30% lead to death after a few minutes. Underground microorganisms and fungi have a good tolerance to elevated and high concentrations of carbon dioxide. Among animals the best resistance is found in invertebrates, some rodents and birds.
Heavy metal ions (e.g. cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, arsenic, lead, zinc) have significantly serious side effects on the human health. They can bind with proteins and enzymes, altering their activity, increasing neurotoxicity, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), promote cellular stress and resulting in their damage. Furthermore, the size, shape and type of metal are important for considering nano- or microtoxicity. It then becomes clear that the levels of these metals in drinking water are an important issue. Herein, a new micro-mechanical sensor is proposed to detect and measure these hazardous metals. The sensor consists of a micro-beam inside a micro-container. The surface of the beam is coated with a specific protein that may bind heavy metals. The mass adsorbed is measured using the resonant frequency shift of the micro-beam. This frequency shift due to the admissible mass (which is considered acceptable for drinking water based on the World Health Organization (WHO) standard) of manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) is investigated for the first, second and third mode, respectively. Additionally, the effects of micro-beam off-center positions inside the micro-container and the mass location are investigated.