Abstract
In rural areas without centralized water supply systems, inhabitants often use groundwater of unknown quality as drinking water, without understanding the possible negative consequences on their health. Karstic spring waters from Dobrogea region in Romania were assessed for their potential to be used as drinking water source, according to their quality and seasonal variation. The physico-chemical parameters of waters were compared with the guideline values for drinking water established by the World Health Organization and the Directive 98/83/EC. The nitrate and Cr concentrations exceeded the guideline value in the springs from Southern Dobrogea, but met the quality criteria in those from Northern Dobrogea, thus, to be used as drinking water, the karstic springs located in Southern Dobrogea require treatment for nitrates removal. Heavy metals pollution indices showed low to medium cumulative heavy metal pollution in all springs, while the human health risk assessment by oral exposure indicated possible noncarcinogenic risks of nitrates, both for adults and children in springs from South Dobrogea. A rigorous monitoring of the water quality before human consumption is recommended for all four studied water sources.
Highlights
Groundwater represents a significant freshwater source and a critical natural resource, and, in many areas, it constitutes the primary source of drinking water
This study presents the seasonal variation of karstic spring waters quality from the Dobrogea region in Romania, used as drinking water sources by the local population
The mean values of the electrical conductivity (EC) in all four karstic springs were within the values recommended by the WHO guideline for drinking purposes and by the Directive 98/83/EC [28,40]
Summary
Groundwater represents a significant freshwater source and a critical natural resource, and, in many areas, it constitutes the primary source of drinking water. The infiltration of the pollutants is predominantly diffuse in karst areas and their discharge is concentrated The quality of groundwater is superior to surface water, but it is influenced by various drivers such as anthropogenic pollution (urbanization, industrial sources, sanitation, intensive agricultural practices) and natural processes (geological substrates, recharge water quality) [3,4]. Contamination with nutrients (especially phosphates and nitrates) in agricultural and urban areas, release of Ni, Cr, and Mn by bedrock weathering and seawater intrusion along coastal aquifers by overexploitation were the main factors and mechanisms controlling the distribution of major and trace elements in groundwaters used for irrigation and drinking purposes in Attica region, Greece [5]. The increase of as concentration following continuous exchange with the shallow aquifer and the high concentration of K and nitrates following substantial anthropogenic soil use were the main contamination mechanisms of the groundwater in Sant’eufemia Plain (Calabria, Italy) [8,9,10]
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