The Centralized Water Supply of Kyiv Is 150 Years Old (1872–2022) - the Importance of the Dnipro and Desna Rivers

Abstract

Summary The publication reflects the role of the Dnipro and Desna rivers in the water supply of Kyiv. In 2022, the Kyiv water supply system, built in 1872 with water intake from the Dnipro River, will be 150 years old. During this time, the role of the Dnipro changed - the share of groundwater in the water supply of the city grew, and subsequently the Desna River. In 1939, the Dnipro waterworks was built, which is still in operation today (design capacity 600 thousand m3/day). In 1961 the Desnianska waterworks was built (1080 thousand m3/day). The design capacity of the artesian water pipeline is 420 thousand m3/day. In recent years, the average daily water supply in Kyiv is 700–720 thousand m3/day. The share of city water supply sources is as follows: Desna River - 66%; the Dnipro River - 25%; artesian waters - 9%. The highest specific indicator of the use of drinking water in Kyiv per capita was in 1991 - 588 l/day/person. Calculations show that in 2020 it decreased by 2.7 times. (219 l/day/person). An important role was played by the increase in tariffs for water supply. The centralized water supply of the city also implies a centralized sewage disposal system. The Bortnitska aeration station, which built in 1965, receives 100% of the city’s wastewater with the discharge of treated wastewater in the Dnipro River below Kyiv. The Dnipro and Desna rivers play an extraordinary role in the water supply of the capital. The Dnipro remains the hydrographic axis of Kyiv.