Disinfection of drinking water with ozone by the method of electrodispersion

This article analyzes the existing methods for disinfecting drinking water with ozone and identifies their disadvantages. The substantiation of the method of water disinfection with ozone using electrodispersion is given. The description of the technological scheme of water disinfection using the method of electrodispersion is given. The description of the design of the electric spray is given. The results of production tests of a device for water disinfection on the water of open reservoirs and artesian wells are presented.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SPRINGS, SELF-FLOWING ARTESIAN WELLS, UNDERGROUND CAVE LAKES OF WESTERN KAZAKHSTAN IN TOURISM

The use of springs is becoming increasingly important in tourism. There are many springs in Western Kazakhstan that can be used to develop various types of tourism. Springs can be used for health, ecological, religious and other types of tourism. Today, health and spa tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of world tourism. The historical and cultural heritage, and biodiversity associated with the springs also fascinate people, and many of them can become unique tourist destinations with high visual impact. The article gives characteristics of springs, self-flowing artesian wells, underground cave lakes of Western Kazakhstan and indicates their tourist potential for travellers and local. However, despite the high recreational potential of springs, tourism as a whole is not developed enough to provide quality tourism services and attract a large number of tourists to the region. An analysis of the tradition of tourist use of springs has been carried out and the main types of modern recreation are justified based on an assessment of the tourist potential of springs.

Assessment of the radiation safety of drinking water and surface water bodies used for recreational purposes in the Voronezh region

AIM: This study aimed to assess the radiation safety of surface water bodies used for recreational purposes and drinking water used by the population of the Voronezh Region (VR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The fond materials of the Rospotrebnadzor Administration in VR in 20152019 were used. The following parameters were analyzed: total and activities and specific activity of radioactive substances in the water of open reservoirs (137Сs, 210Po, 226Ra, and 228Ra) and in the sources of drinking water (210Po and 222Rn). The annual effective dose was calculated on the basis of the probable consumption of drinking water from the centralized drinking water supply systems. The content of radionuclides in the water of open reservoirs was analyzed in three control points and in drinking water found in 2,036 water intake artesian wells of the centralized drinking water supply systems. Then, 100% of the sources were surveyed in terms of total and activities. The radiation safety of bottled drinking water from nine manufacturers was assessed on the basis of the data of the Federal State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance. Water in open reservoirs and drinking water, including water packaged in containers, were laboratory controlled on the basis of an accredited testing laboratory center (Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the VR) by using MKS-01A Multirad spectrometric installation (Akvilon, Russia). UMF-2000 - and -radiometers were utilized to measure small activities (NPP, Doza, Russia). RESULTS: According to the regional databases of Rospotrebnadzor Administration regarding water from open water bodies for the population (three monitoring points: Tikhaya Sosna, Sukhaya Khvorostan, and Usman rivers) in 20152019, values did not exceed the intervention limit that was registered in terms of the content of the controlled radioactive substances (210Ро, 234U, 222Rn, and 137Сs) and the total and activities. Water from artesian wells used for drinking and domestic purposes fully met the requirements of radiation safety. The average annual effective radiation doses (AAERD) of the population in the VO in 74 settlements within the zones of radioactive contamination due to the Chernobyl disaster ranged from 0.05 mSv/year to 0.12 mSv/year, which was significantly lower than the threshold value (1 mSv/year). The analyzed drinking water samples, water packaged in containers, and the samples produced in the region were in compliance with sanitary and epidemiological requirements, including those for 90Sr and 137Cs radionuclide contents. CONCLUSION: Radiation monitoring in the VR revealed that the content of technogenic radionuclides (137Cs and 90Sr) and other standardized parameters of radiation safety in water of open reservoirs and drinking water did not exceed the threshold values.

Stochastic model and method of optimization of operating modes groups of artesian wells in water supply systems

Water supply of large cities is carried out, as a rule, from open reservoirs - lakes, reservoirs, large rivers, ie from sources with significant water reserves. In this case, the water supply scheme includes: pumping stations of the first rise, which take water directly from the water; water treatment system (purification); pumping stations of the second and third rise, pumping clean water over long distances and supplying it to settlements [1]. If the settlement is located in an area where there are no large open water sources, or the geographical location of the settlement allows the use of groundwater, in which case artesian wells are used as a source of water supply. Usually small settlements are supplied with water from artesian wells. Artesian wells are widely used for water supply of villages, industrial water supply, for irrigation (irrigation systems), in the mining industry, to reduce the level of groundwater. The advantage of using artesian wells to supply the population with drinking water is that the water is extracted from great depths and purified using natural filters [2]. Thus, the cost of water treatment is significantly reduced. The disadvantage of using artesian wells is usually low productivity of the well, the strong dependence of water volumes in the well on climatic and weather conditions, depletion of the well as a result of large-scale construction or extraction of natural minerals such as shale gas [3].

Total Alpha activity and Radon-222 activity in the underground water of some regions of Ukraine

Objective: We aimed to analyze the results of the measurements of the total alpha activity and activity of radon-222 in the water of artesian wells to establish the geographical regions of Ukraine which require a deep attention to the assessment of the radioactivity of the groundwater. Methods: We used empirical, analytical, radiometric, spectrometric methods and method of mathematical statistics in the study. Materials: We carried out a statistical analysis of the results of the measurements of the total alpha activity and the activity of radon-222 in water samples from the artesian wells of 23 administrative regions of Ukraine studied during 2016 - 2020. Results: Analysis of the results of the measurements of the total alpha-activity and radon-222 activity in the water of artesian wells showed their significant heterogeneity for different regions of Ukraine and a connection with the geological features of the area. The statistical distribution of the values of the total alpha activity and the activity of radon-222 in water samples, diagrams of the range of measured values within the regions of Ukraine and between regions are presented in the work; the measurement results were plotted on the hydrogeological map of Ukraine. Conclusion: The values of the total alpha activity and the activity of radon-222 indicate that these indicators are extremely heterogeneous for the territory of Ukraine and reflect the geological features of the area. The results of the analysis can be useful for making recommendations to collective and individual water consumers, well owners regarding the need in more detailed study of the content of natural radionuclides in the sources of water and the use of the appropriate methods of water treatment in cases of non-compliance with the accepted standards. It is shown that it is necessary to develop a strategy for radiation monitoring of the groundwater quality in the country in order to study objectively the existing state and the achievement of an acceptable quality of the water consumed by the population.

Groundwater-Extracting Rice Production in the Rejoso Water-Shed (Indonesia) Reducing Urban Water Availability: Characterisation and Intervention Priorities

Production landscapes depend on, but also affect, ecosystem services. In the Rejoso watershed (East Java, Indonesia), uncontrolled groundwater use for paddies reduces flow of lowland pressure-driven artesian springs that supply drinking water to urban stakeholders. Analysis of the water balance suggested that the decline by about 30% in spring discharge in the past decades is attributed for 47 and 53%, respectively, to upland degradation and lowland groundwater abstraction. Consequently, current spring restoration efforts support upland agroforestry development while aiming to reduce lowland groundwater wasting. To clarify spatial and social targeting of lowland interventions five clusters (replicable patterns) of lowland paddy farming were distinguished from spatial data on, among other factors, reliance on river versus artesian wells delivering groundwater, use of crop rotation, rice yield, fertiliser rates and intensity of rodent control. A survey of farming households (461 respondents), complemented and verified through in-depth interviews and group discussions, identified opportunities for interventions and associated risks. Changes in artesian well design, allowing outflow control, can support water-saving, sustainable paddy cultivation methods. With rodents as a major yield-reducing factor, solutions likely depend on more synchronized planting calendars and thus on collective action for effectiveness at scale. Interventions based on this design are currently tested.