Increasing ecological safety of spring waters use (on the example of the Kharkiv region, Ukraine)

Abstract

Water is essential to all forms of life, ecosystems and human activity. Fresh water resources
of the world are finite in nature, and at the same time only a small fraction is accessible and
readily usable for human and ecological systems. The problem of fresh drinking water is very
actual for many countries, including Ukraine. The research is dedicated to solution of topical
problems: to reveal environmental aspects of spring flow formation on the territories of urban
agglomerates and scientific substantiation of a possibility of environmentally safe use of
spring waters in urban areas for drinking. A technique for monitoring of spring water quality
has worked out and offered. Three functional strata into urban underground hydrosphere were
identified. The existence of these natural and technogenic strata was confirmed by results of
processing of significant quantity of hydrogeological and chemical monitoring data. A
technique for estimation and substantiation of size of spring sanitary protection zones within
the limits of urban areas with the use of a balance model was developed. Conceptual approach
to the decision-making on environmentally safe use of spring waters, including development
of scientific and technical decisions, was proposed. Data on aquatic chemistry, bacteriology
and hydrology of Kharkiv spring waters were represented. Recommendations for
environmentally sound use of spring waters in urban areas and industrial agglomerates of
Ukraine, resulted from the research and investigations carried out by the author. The
estimation of an economic efficacy of the proposed measures on engineering protection and
accomplishment of springs, and conditioning of spring waters on the example of the city of
Kharkiv was represented. The problem under consideration is sure to be of vital importance
for the cities and further work on this problem is very needed.