Assessment of the ecological condition of aquifer complexes used for drinking water in Voronezh Region

The task of ensuring the safety of drinking water use is relevant due to the existing environmental risks associated with the deterioration of water quality under the influence of man-made and natural factors, which is noted in numerous foreign and domestic studies. This problem is especially acute in rural areas when using decentralized water sources for household and drinking needs, which, as a rule, are not covered by the state system for monitoring water quality assessment. The purpose of the study was to assess the safety of drinking water use of the population of the Voronezh region from decentralized sources based on sanitary and chemical indicators of water quality. Sampling of water from decentralized sources (springs, wells, separate water intake wells) was carried out in the period from 2024 to 2025 (total 302 samples). The research included the determination of total hardness by titrimetric method, mineralization by conductometric method, total iron and nitrate content by colorimetric method. The results of the water analyses were compared with current hygiene standards. It is established that the indicators of the total iron content and hardness meet sanitary and hygienic standards. However, most water samples are classified as “hard”. The average indicators of water mineralization, depending on the aquifer complex used, range from 517.2 mg/1 (Upper Cretaceous) to 586.0 mg/1 (Neogene-Quatemary) and are assessed as elevated. The facts of exceeding the hygroscopic standards of nitrate content from 1.1 times in mixed-type waters to 1.25 times in waters of the Neogene-quatemary complex have been revealed. Based on the results of the study, proposals have been substantiated to improve the drinking water quality monitoring system in terms of including water quality control from decentralized sources, as well as informing the public about the need to use household water purification filters.