The quality and composition of drinking water in Szeged

Szegedi Vízmû Zrt. produces the drinking water of Szeged and Algyő from wells situated 180-560 metres deep, and these wells are based on 10000-year-old protected water layers. The good quality drinking water of Szeged is produced from different layers of this water base. The quality of the drinking water meets the requirements of both Hungarian and EU regulations regarding drinking water quality.

The quality requirements for drinking water are prescribed by a Hungarian Government Decree, thus the preservation of the drinking water quality is a key task for Szegedi Vízmű. The physical and chemical parameters are tested against remarkably strict regulations in our accredited laboratory, which holds a quality assurance certificate. Bacteriological analyses are carried out by the Department of Water Microbiology of the Institution of Clinical Microbiology of Szent-Györgyi Abert Clinical Center at the University of Szeged. Water samples are taken from the drinking water system at 28 consumption points around the town, at the water towers and the waterworks sites. Testing is performed fortnightly carried out by our experts, which means more than one thousand samples taken in one year, i.e. over ten thousand examinations annually.

In addition, the ÁNTSZ (Hungarian National Health and Medical Officer Service) takes random samples and tests the quality of the drinking water. The water in Szeged is bacteriologically suitable, it does not contain elements harmful to human health, and is excellent in terms of chemical composition and healthcare.

The characteristic features of the water in Szeged:
Temperature: 22-25°C on average
Hardness: 108 CaO mg/l (medium hardness) *
Sodium content: 38,1 mg/l (suitable for drinking and plant watering)

The nitrite and nitrate content is rather low, so it is not harmful to human health. The amount of arsenic is below the average of the samples taken in the south-eastern region, therefore it is not harmful to human health even without treatment. The ammonium content is a typical characteristic of deep water layers. Other toxic metal content (chrome, cadmium, copper, nickel, mercury, selenium and lead) is not significant, and technically it equates to zero.

* the German standard for hardness (nk) is the 10th of CaO content, so 110 CaO mg/l hardness equals 11 German hardness level (nk°). The measure can be indicated in "°d" or "°dH". In the region of Szeged this value hardly changes (10-11 nk), i.e. the wells produce nearly the same quality of water.  
The average of the main characteristics of the drinking water samples retained at consumers in 2013

*there are no strange changes, own rule <2 NTU sufficient, <5 NTU acceptable (in case of surface water, recommended turbidity value 1,0 NTU for the plant leaving water)
** not accredited, instrumental measurements at the scene

In addition, we examine the bacteriological and biological parameters fortnightly in samples taken from consumption points. The results prove that the drinking water in Szeged meets the requirements of both the Hungarian Government Decree and the Health and Medical Officer Service.