Summary:

The physico-chemical quality of the potable water, provided by the waterworks
of the selected poviat from Lesser Poland voivodeship, was evaluated.
The evaluation included the period of 2003-2006. The objects of the research were
20 waterworks' and they were tested for the following water quality indexes: turbidity,
reaction, conductivity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and fluorine. The results
from the water quality examination, performed by the Sanitary and Epidemiological
Station, were also used for the analysis. In order to find the variability of each
index, apart from their average values, also the maximum and minimum amounts
were counted, as well as standard deviation and the amount of transgressions of
the admissible value of the index. The research showed high variability of the indexes'
values between different waterworks during the analyzed period. These
differences are clearly seen when comparing the waterworks which use the
groundwater and the waterworks which use the surface water. These first waterworks
provide water of better quality. The physico-chemical properties of water
taken from the tested waterworks are 64,3% consistent with the Ministry of Health
Regulation on the potable water quality. The majority of problems in the group of
physico-chemical indexes is caused by the transgressions of the water turbidity indexes.
In case of the groundwater intakes, the admissible value - 1 NTU was exceeded
by 19,2% of samples, whereas in case of the surface water intakes - there
were as much as 41,1% transgressions.