HYGIENIC QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF DRINKING WATER IN THE CITY OF LUTSK: AN ANALYSIS

Abstract

The issue of ensuring the population with high-quality drinking water remains a contemporary challenge for many cities in Ukraine, including Lutsk. The city's water supply is derived from three underground sources: Dubnivskyi, Hnidavskyi, and Omelyanivskyi. The primary water supply source for Lutsk is the Dubnivskyi water treatment pumping station operated by the Municipal Enterprise "Lutskvodokanal," responsible for the purification, storage, and distribution of water to the city's residents. The quality of drinking water in centralized water supply systems is contingent upon various factors, including the quality of source water, the effectiveness of water treatment technologies, artesian water conditioning methods, and the overall condition and regular maintenance of water supply networks. To assess the quality of drinking water, samples were collected from various points in the central part of the city and subjected to rigorous analysis to ensure compliance with the sanitary standards of Ukraine. Organoleptic and laboratory research methods were employed for this purpose. It was found that the drinking water, which comes from the Dubnivskyi water treatment station and reaches the city's population through an extensive water supply network, remains practically unchanged and is recommended for consumption. The lowest physicochemical parameters were recorded in the sample of water taken from the Ecosoft machine, which is considered to be too low in mineralization. Consumption of such water can lead to a violation of the physiological functions of the human body. The use of filters or settling water has been shown to reduce the calcium content and overall hardness of the water. It was determined that the water sample from the cooler had the lowest values of water hardness, mineralization and magnesium content, and calcium was completely absent. The influence of consumption of potable water with different contents of chemical elements on the health of the population is considered, and recommendations for the consumption of healthy drinking water are proposed.