QUALITY OF DRINKABLE WATER SPRINGS IN TWO ALBA COUNTY REGIONS - COMPARATIVE STUDY

摘要

Water pollution implies any physical, chemical, biological or bacteriological contamination over allowable limits. Alterations of water quality occur as a result of natural phenomena (natural pollution) or due to human activities (artificial pollution). Pollutants are any matter or energy present in the environment in a quantity exceeding a tolerable limit for humans or living species, preventing their normal evolution. Depending on the environmental factors that affect water quality, such outbreaks may occur more frequently in certain seasons of the year. In our study, samples were collected from several sources in two areas within Alba County, Romania. Water samples were studied in terms of physical-chemical properties (pH, mineral content, acidity, nitrite, nitrate and ammonium concentrations) and microbiological load (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli and enterococci). Variations of microbiological parameters in time were studied for both areas. The value of microbiological parameters and their variation in time was compared for the two areas. The study demonstrated that the risks of illness due to water consumption are present in both areas, and that a correlation in the increases of microbiological contamination over time between the two areas was found.