According to information from the Xinghai County Sunshine Government Affairs platform, the county has a total population of 81,000, with 67,000 residents in rural areas and 14,000 in the county seat. The county operates 85 centralized drinking water safety projects for agricultural and pastoral areas, of which 3 draw from river water, 82 from spring water, 51 utilize sedimentation and filtration treatment, and 34 remain untreated, as reported by the Xinghai County Water Affairs Bureau.
The monitoring program encompasses two primary components. First, the National Drinking Water Hygiene Monitoring Network focuses on conducting water quality monitoring for centralized water supply systems and school water supplies, analyzing the occurrence and trends of waterborne diseases, promptly reporting and investigating drinking water pollution and health hazard incidents, strengthening hygiene supervision and management of water supply units, and implementing effective measures to address water supply hygiene safety risks. Water quality monitoring for rural drinking water safety projects is conducted in accordance with the technical plan for rural drinking water quality hygiene monitoring.
Second, regarding water quality monitoring in agricultural and pastoral areas, sampling points were selected to comprehensively represent the county's water source types, water supply methods, and water quality conditions. The monitoring center selected 17 drinking water projects, including 14 rural projects, 1 urban project, and 2 school projects, establishing 36 sampling points, comprising 28 in rural areas, 6 in urban areas, and 2 at schools.
Water sample collection and preservation were carried out in accordance with the Standards for Drinking Water Quality (GB5749-2022). Sampling locations were designated as follows: treated water was collected at the intake point after treatment completion and before entering the distribution pipeline, terminal water was collected at user faucets, secondary water supply samples were collected at storage tank or water tank outlets, self-built school water supply facilities were sampled at user intake points, and decentralized water supply was sampled from household water storage containers.
The monitoring program covers 27 testing items based on rural drinking water quality characteristics and current drinking water hygiene standards. These include 3 microbiological indicators (total colony count, total coliforms, and Escherichia coli), 16 sensory and general chemical indicators (color, turbidity, odor and taste, visible matter, pH, permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen, total dissolved solids, total hardness, chloride, sulfate, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, and aluminum), and 8 toxicological indicators (chromium, fluoride, nitrate, lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and cyanide). Due to limited laboratory capacity at the county level, 24 items of the collected water samples were tested by the Prefecture Center for Disease Control and Prevention Laboratory, while 3 items were tested by the Xinghai County CDC Laboratory.
During the wet season, all microbiological indicators passed inspection. For total colony count, the national hygiene standard specifies a limit of 1.0×10² CFU/100ml, and all 36 water samples met the standard, achieving a 100% compliance rate. Total coliforms, which must not be detected according to national standards, were absent from all 36 samples, also achieving a 100% compliance rate. Escherichia coli, likewise required to be undetectable, was not found in any of the 36 samples, maintaining a 100% compliance rate.
Physical and chemical indicators also performed well during the wet season. For sensory properties, all urban and rural water samples collected across the county showed color levels below 5 with no abnormal odor or taste, achieving a 100% compliance rate. For general chemical indicators, all urban and rural water samples met the standards for iron, manganese, copper, zinc, volatile phenols, aluminum, pH, sulfate, total hardness, and anionic synthetic detergents, with a 100% compliance rate. For toxicological indicators, testing confirmed that fluoride, nitrate, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, cyanide, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, chlorate, and chlorite in all urban and rural water samples met the standards, achieving a 100% compliance rate.
The detailed information of the 36 water sampling points and the complete results of all 27 testing items are now publicly announced as follows.