Springs on the right Bank of the Saratov region can be considered as a
predictive model of changes in the chemical composition of spring water in a
warming climate. The 14 sources most demanded by the population were identified.
The probable causes of the detected deviations in the investigated
sanitaryhygienic indicators are also described. The research period is
2016–2019. The sources are located on the territory of the right Bank of the
Saratov region, including the city of Saratov. We determined the flow rate and
type of sources, the water temperature in them, the presence of captage and
sanitary protection zones, the chemical composition of water in terms of smell,
taste, color, turbidity, pH, total hardness, total mineralization, Cl,
SO[sub]4[/sub] [sup]2[/sup]-, NO[sub]3[/sub] , NO[sub]2[/sub] , NH[sub]3[/sub] ,
Pb[sup]2+[/sup], Cd[sup]2+[/sup], Fe[sub]com[/sub], Mn[sub]com[/sub],
Cr[sub]com[/sub], As[sub]com[/sub]. We found that 35 % of samples do not meet
the requirements of sanitary standards. Deviations were detected in terms of
color, turbidity, total hardness, manganese, chlorides, nitrates, and cadmium.
The dynamics of changes in chemical indicators of water quality in all surveyed
sources was studied. In 6 of them, from 2016 to 2019, an increase in the level
of hardness and total mineralization was revealed. The highest concentrations of
the studied substances were recorded in the spring period (flood). An increase
in the concentration of manganese was observed in 6 sources. In one of them, in
March 2017, the critical value of this indicator was recorded (22 MPC). The
necessity of using springs by the population as alternative sources of water
supply for drinking purposes is analyzed. To identify the demand for springs in
the city of Saratov, a survey of 535 people was conducted directly at the
sampling sites. The conducted survey of the population indicates the confidence
of the population in the quality of spring water. The probable causes of the
detected excess are described. A comparison of our results with available data
from 2009–2016 indicates a deterioration in the water quality of the surveyed
sources.
