Assessment of Water Suitability for Drinking in the Spring in Leśniów (Southern Poland)

Natural springs are one of the potential sources of water supply. Increasing anthropogenic activity, inadequate sanitary conditions and intense rainfall are important factors that threaten the maintenance of adequate water quality in springs. Physicochemical and microbiological tests were performed in two measurement series for water from the spring in Leśniów (southern Poland). The test results were compared with the permissible limits for drinking water and the Nemerow Pollution Index (NPI) value was calculated for these parameters. The average conductivity of water in this spring is approximately 390 µS/cm, pH is about 7 and due to its alkalinity, water can be classified as hard. The NPI values varied, i.e. from about 33 to about 3, which was due to the high mercury content measured in the first sample. Additionally, the number of coliform bacteria reached 35 cfu/100 ml, and the total number of microorganisms at 22±2°C reached 27 cfu/ml in the first measurement series. Such values indicate water contamination, which may pose a significant threat to human health when consuming such water. The second series of measurements showed lower pollution values, but the previously obtained results suggest that it is necessary to control the water quality in the springs and control nearby pollutant emitters.