Ground waters are currently the main source of drinking water. Their usage is extended given that most people in the rural area use it for food and agriculture. The reason why ground water is used more frequently than surface water is that it is less polluted than the latter, and with lower costs. Unfortunately, the irrational use of chemical fertilisers also degraded ground water quality. As ground water circuit is more restricted, human activities can affect them for longer periods. This means that pollution occurred tens of years ago – be it from agriculture, industry, or other human activities – can still threaten water quality nowadays and it will keep doing it for generations and generations. The heritage of the past is obvious in the sites largely contaminated. In many countries, they appeal to ground waters, but this should be done with great caution. First, the regeneration period of these waters increases with their depth. Aquifers need to be drastically protected from pollution if we wish to avoid turning them into useless water sources. This paper aims at establishing the quality of ground waters in the Bistrita hill area (Bistrita-Nasaud County, Romania) as a source of drinking water. To do so, we sampled water from the wells used for drinking water in the following localities: Bistrița, Budacu de Jos, Josenii Bârgăului, Sângiorz-Băi, Zagra, and Caianu Mare. Water was sampled in 2012 and 2013, and analyses aimed at determining oxygen content, pH, nitrite content, nitrate content, ammonia, chlorine, hardness, turbidity, and bacterial load. Research results established the quality of the ground water in the area and water usages.

ground water quality, oxygen content, pH, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, chlorine, turbidity, bacterial load

Presentation: oral