2019 | Russian Federation | Eleonora Taranina

A comprehensive assessment of drinking water quality in Kondopoga, Kareliya

Water issue adressed: Too dirty

A survey of Kondopoga residents showed that they preferred to drink spring water and bottled water, because it looked more transparent than tap water. This study confirmed that even visibly clear water might contain a lot of bacteria and unwanted chemicals in concentrations above the prescribed MPLs. The safest source of drinking water continues to be the tap water. Activity of daphnia may serve as an indicator of chemical pollution. Utilization of daphnia is economically profitable, because it costs almost 40 times less than a complex analysis of water quality.
Publications in local newspaper “New Kondopoga”, along with posting of public information boards near the springs, help to build up awareness of local residents about water quality.

This is how I came up with the idea for this project:

Survey of Kondopoga residents showed that they preferred to drink spring water and bottled water, because it looked more transparent and odorless than tap water. However, one cannot measure water quality given its organoleptic properties. I decided to conduct a comprehensive assessment of quality of ground and drinking water