ORIGINAL PAPER
Testing the quality of spring waters in tourist area in Leśniów (southern Poland)
1
University of Silesia
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2025-04-26
Final revision date: 2025-05-18
Acceptance date: 2025-09-07
Publication date: 2026-03-31
Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi – Mineral Resources Management 2026;42(1):221-241
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Springs are important to ecosystems because they are naturally occurring outflows of groundwater to the surface. Spring water quality is often overlooked in areas where the main source for the water supply is, for example, groundwater. Meanwhile, springs located in urban spaces or tourist areas are used as drinking water without any awareness of their chemical state or bacteriological composition. This situation applies not only to Poland, but to many European countries. An example of formations that are highly susceptible to pollution is karst systems. The majority of the parameters continue to be normal, according to the results of physicochemical analyses. The tested waters had relatively high nitrate levels, but they didn’t exceed the allowable limits for drinking water. Tests carried out in three measurement series at the spring in Leśniów (southern Poland) indicate episodic mercury contamination and the consistent existence of the bacterium coliform. This was confirmed by the values of the Nemerow Index (NPI), which ranged from approximately 3 to 35, while the number of coliform bacteria was in the range of 7–35 cfu/100 ml. Values of the Water Quality Index were also calculated. In two series, they were in the range of 50–100, suggesting good quality, and in the third series, they exceeded 100, which indicates poor water quality. The consumption of contaminated water can have detrimental impacts on one’s health. As a result, it is critical to regularly monitor water contamination, locate pollution sources, and reduce the likelihood of pollutant migration.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The Authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
METADATA IN OTHER LANGUAGES:
Polish
Badanie jakości wód źródlanych w rejonie turystycznym Leśniowa (południowa Polska)
jakość wód źródlanych, zanieczyszczenie rtęcią, bakterie coli, ocena jakości wód, ryzyko zdrowotne
Źródła są ważne dla ekosystemów, ponieważ są naturalnie występującymi wypływami wód podziemnych na powierzchnię. Jakość wody źródlanej jest często pomijana na obszarach, gdzie głównym źródłem zaopatrzenia w wodę jest na przykład woda gruntowa. Tymczasem źródła zlokalizowane w przestrzeniach miejskich lub obszarach turystycznych są wykorzystywane jako woda pitna bez świadomości ich stanu chemicznego lub składu bakteriologicznego. Taka sytuacja nie dotyczy jedynie Polski, lecz także innych krajów europejskich. Przykładem formacji, które są bardzo podatne na zanieczyszczenia, są systemy krasowe. Większość badanych parametrów jest w normie, zgodnie z wynikami analiz fizykochemicznych. Badane wody miały stosunkowo wysokie poziomy azotanów, ale nie przekraczały one dopuszczalnych limitów dla wody pitnej. Testy przeprowadzone w trzech seriach pomiarowych przy źródle w Leśniowie (południowa Polska) wskazują na epizodyczne zanieczyszczenie rtęcią i stałą obecność bakterii coli. Potwierdziły to wartości indeksu Nemerowa (NPI), które wahały się od około 3 do 35, podczas gdy liczba bakterii coli mieściła się w zakresie 7–35 jtk/100 ml. Obliczono również wartości wskaźnika jakości wody. W dwóch seriach mieściły się one w zakresie 50–100, co sugeruje dobrą jakość, a w trzeciej serii przekraczały 100, co wskazuje na słabą jakość wody. Spożywanie zanieczyszczonej wody może mieć szkodliwy wpływ na zdrowie. W związku z tym niezwykle ważne jest regularne monitorowanie skażenia wody, lokalizowanie źródeł zanieczyszczeń i zmniejszanie prawdopodobieństwa migracji zanieczyszczeń.
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