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Teresa Bombik1, Elzbieta Bombik1, Krzysztof Gorski1, Leon Saba2 ©
1 Department of Reproduction and Animal Hygiene,
University of Podlasie, Siedlce, Poland
2 Department of Animal Hygiene and Environment,
University of Life Sciences, Lublin, Poland
WELL WATER QUALITY AS CONDITIONED BY THE WELL DEPTH
Well water quality examination was carried out in deep water and dug wells in which the depths to water table were under and over 10 m. Forty-three water intakes in a selected village of southern Podlasie were checked by means of the method of zootechnical inventorying.
In water samples, taken twice from each well in the summer, the following parameters were determined: colour, total hardness, nitrite nitrogen, iron and number of bacteria after 24 hours at 37 °C.
The research indicated that well water quality depended on their type (depth). Water from deep water wells was characterised by the most beneficial physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters. Due to the average and maximum values of hygienic indicators for dug well water (in which the depth to the water table was under 10 m) the water was disqualified from consumption. Permissible standards for well water parameters were exceeded as a result of unsuitable location of wells and their poor technical condition.
Key words: wells, water, contaminants
Introduction. Water is one of basic components of the natural environment. It plays a special role in a number of processes occurring in ecosystems and is the basis of all the life processes. It also affects human and animal health (Karaczun and Indeka, 1996; Kluczek, 1999).
In many regions of Poland water does not comply with quality standards, in rural areas in particular. On-farm water contamination connected with animal production poses a problem that is difficult to handle, which has been shown in many studies (Bartoszewicz, 1994; Fic et al., 1995; Kolbuszewski et al., 1995; Bombik, 1997; Tymczyna et al., 2000). On most farms water is obtained from home wells which do not meet basic sanitary and hygienic requirements. Use of water supply system is the most optimal way of supplying water in rural areas, the water being characterised by the lowest values of physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters (Bombik et al., 2005),
Standards for drinking water quality have undergone continuous changes. The regulations have been improved as a result of the development of sciences dealing with an impact of different pollutants on human and animal health, as well as improvement of methods for determination of contaminants in water. At present, drinking water quality assessment is carried out on the basic of legal regulations
© Teresa Bombik, Elzbieta Bombik, Krzysztof Gorski, Leon Saba, 2008
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provided by the Minister of Health of 19 November 2002 (Journal of Laws No. 203, item 1718).
The objective of the present work was to determine water quality in deep water and dug wells.
Material and Methods. Zootechnical inventorying of wells and water quality examination were carried out in a selected village in southern Podlasie. The inspection of 43 water intakes on agricultural farms was carried out following the methodology provided by Anusz (1984).
Zootechnical inventorying included the following parameters: well type, depth to water table, way of drawing water, well technical condition, and well location.
The results of well inventorying were used to analyse water quality. On the basis of the inventorying, wells were divided into three types (depending on their depth):
- deep water wells (drilled),
- dug wells in which the depth to water table was under 10m,
- dug wells in which the depth to water table was over 10 m.
In the above-mentioned wells determination of selected physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters was carried out.
Water samples were taken twice (at one-week intervals) from each well in the summer. In the water samples the following physico-chemical indicators were determined: colour, total hardness, nitric nitrogen and iron. Moreover, bacteriological analyses were performed including the total number of bacteria in 1 ml water (cfu) determined using an agar base after 24 hours at 37 °C. Water sampling and determination of the aforementioned parameters were carried out according to the commonly accepted laboratory methods (Dojlido et al., 1999; Kluczek, 1999).
Minimum (min.) and maximum (max.) values were given for each water indicator studied and the following statistical measures were calculated: arithmetic mean (x) and coefficient of variation (V%), on the basis of the work by Tr^towski and Wojcik (1991). The characteristics were calculated for deep water as well as dug wells in which the depth to water table was under and over 10 m.
Results of the research. Table 1 presents the description of the wells studies. Deep water wells constituted the main source of water supply in the households examined (81.4%). The remaining ones (18.6%) were dug wells. The depth to water table did not exceed 10 m in 6 wells only, the remaining 37 wells being characterised by the depth of more than 10 m. Water from deep water wells was supplied by means of a pump. In the dug wells water was lifted using a well-sweep (87.5%), and only in one case - by means of a windlass. In 31 cases the ground around the well was paved which made it impossible for rainwater and the water spilled while lifting to drain off. The distance from the well to livestock buildings on 29 farms did not meet the zoohygienic requirements and amounted to less than 15 m. It might have negatively impacted the water quality. Concrete rings used while digging the wells were not joined tightly enough, and visible damp patches appeared on their walls. The wells
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lacked a permanently fixed buckle and a cover closing the well opening. The irregularities were additional sources of water contamination in the wells examined.
Table 1
Zootechnical inventorying of wells
Specification Wells
number %
Wells:
- deep water (drilled) - dug 35 8 81.4 18.6
Wells characterised by the depth to the water table of:
- under 10 m 6 13.9
- over 10 m 37 86.1
Way of lifting water: - pump (hydrophore) - well-sweep - windlass 35 7 1 100.0 87.5 12.5
Dug wells equipped with a fixed bucket and a lid 2 25.0
Wells located in an unpaved ground 31 72.1
Well distance from livestock buildings
- under 15 m 29 67.4
- over 15 m 14 32.6
Water quality of deep water as well as dug wells is shown in table 2. The data indicate that in most samples analysed physico-chemical and biological parameters of water did not differ from the established standards (Regulation of the Minister of Health of 19 November 2002; Journal of Laws. No. 203, item 1718).
The highest quality was found for the water in deep water wells. All the water indicators analysed (colour, total hardness, nitric nitrogen, iron and number of bacteria) stayed within the limits specified by the standards (Rozp., 2002).
Reduced water parameters for colour and iron content, represented as maximum values, were found for dug wells in which the depth to water table was over 10m, and they amounted to: 18.8 mg Pt/dm3 and 0.683 mg Fe/dm3, respectively.
The worst quality was detected for water in shallow wells (the depth to water table being under 10m). In most samples analysed the concentration of water indicators exceeded the norms, which qualifies the water as unsuitable for consumption. In the wells, both average (24.7 mg Pt/dm3) and maximum (36.2 mg Pt/dm3) values exceeded the established concentrations (Rozp., 2002). A similar relation occurred for total hardness, iron content and number of bacteria. Only maximum values of nitric nitrogen concentration in the water samples analysed exceeded the permissible standard, that is 0.5 mg/dm3 (Rozp., 2002). It should be stressed that water quality in shallow wells is impacted mainly by their poor technical condition and unsuitable location.
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Table 2
Values of physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters of water
Wells The highest permissible value
Indicators deep water dug, in which the depth to the water table is
under 10m over 10m
min. 1.4 10.5 6.1
Colour max. 13.0 36.2 18.8 15
(mg Pt/dm3) x 7.8 24.7 12.7
V% 27.5 75.1 40.6
min. 94.0 189.9 163.0
Total hardness max. 305.2 682.5 502.4 500
(mg CaCO3/dm3) x 176.8 513.0 396.1
V% 34.4 94.5 89.0
min. 0.0016 0.0167 0.0078
Nitrite nitrogen max. 0.0142 0.6401 0.1705 0.5
(mg N-NO2/dm3) x 0.0055 0.3580 0.0463
V% 52.2 93.7 70.8
min. 0.011 0.129 0.110
Iron max. 0.194 0.985 0.683 0.2
(mg Fe/dm3) x 0.143 0.602 0.224
V% 54.4 89.5 77.0
The total number min. 1.7 7.9 4.9
of bacteria max. 14.5 30.5 20.8 20
at 370C after 24 h x 7.2 21.0 15.1
(cfu/ml) V% 48.6 83.6 80.2
Explanations:
*Decree of the Minister of Health dated 19th November 2002 (Journal of Laws No
203, item 1718 - app. 1-2);
cfu - colony forming unit.
Conclusions
1. Physico-chemical and biological analyses of water revealed a relatively strong impact of the well type (depth) on water quality.
2. Water in the deep water wells was characterised by good quality with respect to physiological and biological parameters.
3. In the dug wells (the depth to the water table being over 10m) average and maximum values of hygienic indicators classified the water as unsuitable for consumption.
4. Unsuitable location and poor technical condition of shallow wells resulted in exceeding permissible standards for water parameters.
References
1. Anusz Z., 1984: Zarys higieny wody w produkcji zwierz^cej. PWRiL, Warszawa
2. Bartoszewicz A., 1994: Azotany w wodach studni wiejskich oraz w wodach gruntowych i powierzchniowych terenow uzytkowanych rolniczo. Konf. Nauk. „Azotany, azotyny - zagrozenie dla srodowiska" SGGW,Warszawa, 15-17.
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3. Bombik T., 1997: The effect of ground water pollution on the health and reproduction indexes in geese. 9th Int. Cong. Anim. Hyg., Univ. of Helsinki, I, 17-21.
4. Bombik T., Gorski K., Bombik E., Saba L., 2005: Wpfyw wiosennej i jesiennej pory roku na jakosc wod podziemnych. Ann. UMCS, Sec. EE, XXIII, 41, 313317.
5. Dojlido J., Hermanowicz W., Dozanska W., Kosiorowski B., Zerze J., 1999: Fizyczno-chemiczne badanie wody i sciekow. Arkady, Warszawa.
6. Fic M., Slawon J., Saba L., Bis-Wencel H., 1995: Wplyw ferm mi^sozernych zwierz^t futerkowych na zawartosc skladnikow biogennych w wodach podziemnych. Wspol. Prob.. Hydrogeologii, VII, 123-129.
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9. Kolbuszowski T., Rokicki E., Bombik T., 1995: Wplyw zanieczyszczenia wody w studniach wiejskich na wyniki produkcyjne i zdrowotnosc g^si. Mi^dz. Sesja Nauk. „Higienizacja wsi". AR, Lublin, 127-131.
10. Rozporz^dzenie Ministra Zdrowia z dnia 19 listopada 2002 roku w sprawie wymagan dotycz^cych jakosci wody przeznaczonej do spozycia przez ludzi (Dz.U. Nr 203, poz. 1718).
11. Tr^towski JA., Wojcik A.R., 1991: Metodyka doswiadczen rolniczych. WSRP, Siedlce.
12. Tyczyna L., Chmielowiec-Korzeniowska A., Saba L., 2000: Effect of a pig farm on the physical and chemical properties of a river and ground water. Pol. J. of Environ. St., 9, 2, 97-102.
Summary
The objective of the present work was to determine water quality in deep water and dug wells in which the depth to the water table was under and over 10m. Forty-three water intakes in a selected village in southern Podlasie were subjected to technical inspection by means of zootechnical inventorying.
The following indicators were determined in water samples taken twice from each well: colour, hardness, nitric nitrogen, iron and number of bacteria recorded after 24 hours at 37 °C.
Physico-chemical and bacteriological analyses of water showed a relatively strong impact of well type (depth) on water quality. Water in deep water wells was characterised by good quality. In shallow wells (the depth to the water table being under 10 m) values of physico-chemical and biological indicators allowed classifying the water as unsuitable for consumption. Permissible hygienic standards were exceeded in shallow wells due to their unsuitable location and poor technical condition.
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