Euro-2 standard water? Hot water quality requirements have been temporarily lowered in the Sverdlovsk region.
In the Sverdlovsk region, authorities have relaxed hygienic standards for hot water quality. The changes affect Yekaterinburg, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, and Berezovsky, where the temporary relaxations will be in effect until the end of 2032.
New regulations and risks for consumers
The official decision to change key parameters was made by the heat supply company T Plus. According to the updated standards, the permissible iron concentration in hot water has increased from 0,3 to 0,42 mg/dm³, and the maximum color index has increased from 20 to 30 degrees.
The organization's press service assured that these relaxations are completely safe for public health. However, local residents are already preparing for the water to become visibly yellowish, acquire a slight metallic odor, and experience an accelerated buildup of rusty deposits on plumbing fixtures and laundry.
Causes of water supply problems in the region
Consequently, the deterioration in water quality is linked to climate factors. In August, record floods in the Sverdlovsk region led to a sharp deterioration in water quality in the main reservoirs. This led to rapid clogging of the filters at Vodokanal's Western Filtration Station.
As a result, the supply of cold water to the thermal power plant and boiler houses was suspended, and most of Yekaterinburg was temporarily left without hot water.
Rospotrebnadzor later officially recorded elevated levels of manganese, aluminum, and chlorine, as well as severe turbidity and a foul odor in cold water in four districts of the regional center.
Context: Water crisis in Ural cities
Moreover, the problem is systemic for the entire region. Ural publications previously reported that drinking water quality standards were also changed by the end of the year in Kamensk-Uralsky, where residents had complained en masse about dirty water coming from the pipes.
Meanwhile, in Verkhnyaya Salda, residents were completely banned from using tap water due to the discovery of dangerously high ammonia levels.
