Drinking Water Quality in the City Of Užice

Abstract

In 2014, the Serbian public was informed on several occasions about water supply problems in the City of Užice. The reason behind the problem was the presence of potentially toxic species Planktothrix rubescens (Cyanobacteria) in the waters of the Vrutci Reservoir (the water supply intake for the City of Užice), the alternative water supply intake Sušičko Vrelo and in the city distribution network. Although the measured concentration of hepatotoxic microcystin-LR (< 0.01 μg/L) was considerably below World Health Organisation guidelines for drinking water (1 μg/ L), the water was declared unsafe. The study presents and comments on the results of physicochemical, microbiological and biological analyses of both raw water samples collected from the water supply intakes and treated chlorinated drinking water samples from the distribution network of the City of Užice water supply system.

Tokom 2014. godine javnost Srbije je nekoliko puta obaveštavana o problemima vodosnabdevanja grada Užica. Razlog je bilo prisustvo potencijalno toksične vrste Planktothrix rubescens (Cyanobacteria) u vodi akumulacije Vrutci (vodozahvata grada Užica), alternativnog vodozahvata Sušičkog vrela i u gradskoj distributivnoj mreži. Iako je izmerena koncentracija hepatotokisčnog mikrocistina-LR (< 0,01 μg/L) bila znatno niža од dozvoljene vrednosti propisane od strane Svetska zdravstveno organizacije (1 μg/L), voda je proglašavana zdravstveno neispravnom. U radu su prikazani i komentarisani rezultati fizičko-hemijskih, mikrobioloških i bioloških analiza sirove vode vodozahvata kao i prečišćene i hlorisane vode za piće iz distributivne mreže gradskog vodovoda Užice.