Ecological and hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater for rural settlements of the Belgorod region with different types of anthropogenic load

The problem of the mutual influence of surface and ground waters is of particular importance for agro-industrial regions where intensive exploitation of aquifers occurs, both for domestic and drinking water supply, and for water drainage in the area of mining enterprises. Belgorod Oblast is one of such regions, for which a comparative ecological and hydrogeochemical assessment of ground waters was carried out in two contrasting rural settlements with a strong technogenic load, which includes the impact of the mining complex, and a background territory where agro-industrial production dominates. Methods. The empirical basis of the study for assessing the ecological state of groundwater was provided by an array of data on the content of macro- and microelements in groundwater from water intake wells, wells, and water towers. Results. Groundwater of the Upper-Lower Cretaceous complex, which by chemical composition are hydrocarbonate-sulphate calcium and have a mineralization of 0.5–0.6 g/l, are most widely used to supply water to industrial enterprises and cities, rural settlements and livestock complexes. It was found that the waters of this complex for the background territory have trace element indicators that do not exceed the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) established for drinking water, while for the territory with strong technogenic pressure, the main pollutants are lead, cadmium and copper. The impact of different types of anthropogenic loads and their intensity is reflected in the change in the natural regime of aquifers, the rate of leaching processes and further pollution, which determines the feasibility of developing and implementing differentiated sets of measures to maintain the quality of groundwater.