The Mykolaiv City Hall explained why saltwater was fed into the water supply system

In Mykolaiv, the large-scale street excavations are related to the replacement of failing water and heating networks, and the decision to introduce saltwater into the water supply system in 2022 was a necessary step to preserve the city’s sewer system.

Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych announced this during a staff meeting.

According to him, residents often complain about the large number of excavations, but right now in Mykolaiv, they are not just repairing isolated breaks—they are replacing entire sections of pipelines that are expected to last for decades. The work is being carried out both by municipal utilities and with the support of international partners, who have provided new pipes and are assisting with their installation.

The mayor also recalled the events of spring 2022, when the city was left without water from the Dnipro River after the main water pipeline was damaged. According to him, the decision to supply the network with non-potable water from the Southern Bug River was made not to provide residents with drinking water, but to prevent the sewer system from shutting down.

“If the sewer system had become clogged with coke, we would have lost the entire system. That would have led to outbreaks of disease, cholera, and other dangerous consequences,” Senkevich explained.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the saltwater accelerated the deterioration of the old pipes, which is why the city is now forced to carry out a large-scale replacement of the networks.

According to the mayor, there are currently more than 250 distribution points for purified drinking water operating in Mykolaiv, and the main water supply networks are flushed regularly. In May alone, he said, approximately 70 kilometers of pipelines were flushed.

Senkevich also emphasized that the co-owners of buildings and management companies are responsible for the condition of the internal plumbing systems. He noted that if rusty water flows from the taps for some time after repairs in a building, this does not mean that the problem lies with the city’s entire water supply system.

Андрій Колісніченко