The State Food and Consumer Service has commissioned a ₴2.6 million study of water and soil in the Mykolaiv region

Free drinking water distribution points in Mykolaiv. Archive photo NikVesti

The Main Directorate of the State Food and Consumer Service in the Mykolaiv region has announced a tender for laboratory testing of drinking water and soil.

The relevant procurement has been published in the Prozorro system, according to NikVesti.

The expected cost of the procurement is 2.6 million hryvnias. The services are to be provided until the end of 2026.

The tender documentation states that the contractor must perform more than 14,000 laboratory tests. These include analyses of drinking water from centralised and decentralised sources, as well as soil testing.

Most of the tests will be microbiological and sanitary-chemical analyses. In particular, the following is planned:

• over 900 tests for E. coli and coliform bacteria;
• determination of pH, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, hardness, chloride and sulphate content;
• assessment of organoleptic indicators of water — smell, taste, colour and turbidity;
• testing water for heavy metals, including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, copper and manganese;
• individual tests for radionuclides — caesium-137 and strontium-90, as well as rotavirus and hepatitis A virus;
• 22 soil analyses for parasitological indicators.

The tender documentation states that the contractor must have accreditation, experience in the relevant field and the necessary material and technical resources. The laboratory must be located so as to ensure that samples can be collected within two hours and that testing can begin on the day the materials are delivered.

We would like to remind you that in November last year, ten free drinking water distribution points were inspected in Mykolaiv, and two were found to have water that did not meet the established standards for consumption.

On 7 October 2025, Mykolaiv was connected to a new water pipeline that supplies the city with water. As Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych reported, the water pipeline is already operating in the Mykolaivvodokanal system, and the filtration system at the treatment facilities has been upgraded.

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Vitalii Kim also said that Mykolaiv residents can expect clean water to appear in their taps around the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.

It should be noted that the new water treatment facilities for centralized water supply in Mykolaiv are being built with funds saved during the construction of the new water pipeline. Treated water is expected to be available as early as January, but the water treatment facilities will be fully operational in March 2026.

Initially, it was planned to take out an EIB loan for the construction of new water treatment facilities for Mykolaiv, with Denmark providing part of the funding as a grant. The project was expected to take several years to complete and was intended to help provide the city with water of European standard quality.