Rehabilitation of the chernoistochinskii drinking water system, Nizhnii Tagil, Russia

Abstract

Mr. Brown comanages tbe Nizbnii Tagil Environmental Project, Dr. Myers manages the Permits Improvements Team for EPA's RCRA program Ms. Parker develops information management improvement strategies f o r the Office of Solid Waste. Robert Stewart, a bydrogeologist at SAIC in McLean, Virginia, bas worked in support of numerous EPA and Department of Defense hazardous and solid waste regulatory initiatives.The U S . Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) performed a reservoir diagnosis and developed low-cost recommendations to improve drinking water quality for the city of Nizhnii Tagil, Russia. Despite widespread regional pollution, water quality within the drinking water supply source can be summarized as generally good. Sampling and analysis efforts did not reveal appreciable amounts of hazardous chemicals or metals. The major waterqualityproblem stems from a n abundance of blue-green algae during the summer months, causing drinking water taste and odor problems and filter clogging at the water treatment plant. City water treatment o f f ials also frequently experience difficulties with maintaining a n effective disin fection residual in the distribution system because it spans more than 30 kilometers in length. Regrowth of microorganisms in the distribution system often causes coliform bacteria counts to exceed standards. The implementation of a watershed protection and management program, and the installation of a new disinfection system, to punifv drinking water and to reduce bacterial growth in the distribution system should improve drinking water quality for the city residents.

Limnological Assessment of Verkhne Viiskii Reservoir, Russian Federation

“…2). Average epilimnetic temperature at Station 1 on 11 August was 17.7°C and the thermocline was located at a depth of approximately 6 m. In general, surface temperatures and vertical differences in temperature were typical of lakes for this region (Brown et al, 1997; Kimstach et al, 1998) and latitude (Pientz et al, 1997a,b). Moderate heat gains observed below the seasonal thermocline may reflect the influence of inflow mixing associated with elevated tributary flows in late spring and early summer.…”

“…Copper and zinc contents were in the upper percentiles of the distribution while values for manganese for all Verkhne Viiskii Reservoir stations exceeded the range for those surveyed. While industrial pollutants have contributed to adverse health impacts in Nizhnii Tagil (Brown et al, 1997), there are limited anthropogenic influences in the reservoir's watershed and the observed trace metal contents in sediments probably reflect the lithology of the drainage basin (copper, iron, and zinc are mined nearby at Cheremschanski, located about 1.5 km southeast of the dam site). Dry deposition or fallout of particulates from emission plumes (Sievering et al, 1981) and aerosols (Davis and Galloway, 1981) emanating from urban and industrial areas such as Nizhnii Tagil have been identified as an important source of trace metals to lakes.…”

“…I mpaired environmental quality prompted cooperative efforts among the administration of the City of Nizhnii Tagil in the Russian Federation, the USEPA, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and led to establishment of the Nizhnii Tagil Environment Project. The project emphasizes human and environmental health balanced against economic interests in the region (Brown et al, 1997). Nizhnii Tagil (population 435 000) is located along the Tagil River, a tributary of the Ob River on the eastern slopes of the middle Ural Mountains in the Sverdlovsk oblast (Fig.…”

“…The highly eroded slopes of the Ural Mountains yield a great variety of mineral resources (Lydolph, 1970; Shabad, 1951), making this one of the two major iron and steel producing centers in the region. Mining, metallurgy, plastics, and chemical industries have long released pollutants that may have contributed to increased rates of health impairment and now raise concern for the quality of source and treated drinking water (Brown et al, 1997).…”

“…Our objectives were to assess the limnological condition of Verkhne Viiskii Reservoir as a means to provide a benchmark against which to gauge future change and by which to anticipate water quality management needs. An earlier study (Brown et al, 1997) involved similar efforts for Chernoistochinskii Reservoir, the city's other drinking water source.…”