Is it Safe to Drink Water from Springs?

Elena Gromadskaya, head of the Surface Waters Department at the "Central Scientific Research Institute for the Comprehensive Use of Water Resources," shared insights in the BELTA project "The Country Speaks" on whether it is safe to drink water from springs.

"It’s reasonable to assume that water from springs located near roads or fields is undesirable for drinking. However, when we go out even for field inventory work, we see that people are not deterred by this," she noted.

Overall, Elena Gromadskaya does not recommend drinking water directly from springs without prior testing. "Systematic assessments of spring water quality are not conducted regularly. Such evaluations are only performed upon request, and our institute does not undertake this work," she explained. She suggested that these issues likely fall within the purview of health and epidemiological centers.

A spring is an open and vulnerable source, the specialist added. "Anyone can approach a spring—even in the forest," she clarified. "This requires caution, but it can be a potential source of drinking water. To provide guarantees of safety, thorough research is necessary."

The institute is considering the possibility of beginning studies on the drinking quality of spring water, but such work has not been undertaken yet.