South China Mountain Region has a well-developed water system with the most abundant water in China. Untreated natural water is the main source of drinking water for the local people. This study aimed to investigate the hydrochemical characteristics and trace element concentrations of natural water in the mountainous regions of South China. In this study, 116 water samples were collected. Traditional hydrochemical methods, water quality index (WQI), hazard index (HI), and nutrient speciation of trace elements (NSTE) were used for analysis. In general, the hydrochemical type was mainly Ca-HCO3- type. The hydrochemical characteristics were mainly influenced by the weathering of calcite and silicate rocks. Overall total dissolved solids (TDS) were low, indicating mainly soft and very soft water. The water that met the standards for mineral water had an average concentration of 59.69 mg/L for Sr (strontium) and an average concentration of 0.46 mg/L for H2SiO3 (silicic acid). Although the water quality index (WQI) indicated that 91.3% of the water samples in the study area were of good quality (WQI < 25), 2.58% of the water samples had significant non-carcinogenic risk (HI > 1) due to the high As and Pb concentrations. The water in the study area contributed significantly to human intake of Sr, Cr, and V, accounting for 8.4, 8.3, and 7.7% of the required daily intake for adults, respectively. It is recommended that a comprehensive water quality evaluation system be constructed to ensure that mountain water is managed for development and safe to drink.
Keywords: Health risk; Hydrochemical characteristics; Mountainous areas of South China; Nutritional assessment; Trace element.
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