Investigation of Drinking Water Quality in Countryside in Different River Systems Areas in Hefei / 环境与健康杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the drinking water quality in the countryside in different river systems areas in Hefei, China and to provide scientific data for the improvement of drinking water quality and protection of human health. Methods In Hefei, according to hydrological geology, the rural areas were classified into the Lake-Chaohu river system, the Huaihe-River river system, the Yangtze-River-Huaihe-River watershed area and the general area, the multi-stages sampling method were employed in the investigation of water quality. Results 82.15% of local people drank the shallow-layer well water. 82.73% of water wells exposed to a pollution source which was no more than 30 meters from the well. Dissolved total solid and total coliforms were higher in the rainy season compared with that in the dry season, but the content of the other contaminants were higher in the dry season. Among the river systems areas, the content of some contaminants showed a significant difference. When the distance of pollutant source was fixed, increasing the well depth could reduce the bacterium count in water. Conclusion In the countryside of Hefei, the total bacteria count and the total coliforms in drinking water greatly exceed the allowed limits, water supply improvement should be made according to the local hydrological and geological condition.