The Effect of Agricultural Practices on the Drinking Water Quality: A Case Study

Abstract

The problem of drinking water quality assessment and the impact of agricultural practices on it is relevant these days. A certain select area can serve as a convenient model object in the investigation. This work aims to assess the effect of agricultural practices on the quality of drinking water. The qualitative and quantitative composition of drinking water consumed by the habitants of Vladivostok, Russian Federation, was investigated in 2018. A total of 1000 samples were collected from wells, small rivers, channels located nearby the wastewater treatment facilities, from a river flowing near fields and livestock farms, and from a river with the minimal anthropogenic impact. To evaluate the drinking water suitability, the following parameters were addressed: the mineral level, hardness, alkalinity, permanganate oxidation, and the concentration of various salts and ions, specifically Ca²⁺, Cl^–, SO₄, HCO₃, NO₂, Mg²⁺, P, and NH₄-N. The concentration of organic compounds is affected by two factors, water temperature and pH. The mineral level in water near the farmland is 1.7-3 times higher than the norm (p ≤ 0.05). Intermediate results (i.e., elevation of 1.5 times) were obtained for wells and small rivers (p ≤ 0.05). In the preserve, all parameters are close to normal value. Thereby, almost all substances under study demonstrate elevation of at least 2-20 times. The reason for this situation is the human factor.