Relevance. Man-made discharges, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, change the chemical composition of water systems, negatively affecting ecosystems and human health. Despite the regional specificity of Kuzbass, consisting in the presence of a developed coal industry, as well as the development of related industries (metallurgy, energy and chemical industry), the interaction of organic matter in various hydrogeological conditions and under the effect of various anthropogenic factors remains poorly understood. All this requires a comprehensive analysis of pollution sources, patterns of pollutant distribution and their environmental consequences. Aim. To study the features of the composition and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in natural waters of Kuzbass. To assess the impact of the coal industry on water quality, to identify pollution markers with subsequent use of the obtained data to reconstruct the conditions of formation of these waters in natural and man-made conditions. Objects. Groundwater, mainly Jurassic and Upper Permian terrigenous-carbonaceous deposits of the Taylugan suite of the Yerunakovskaya subseries of the Kolchuginskaya series of the Kuznetsk basin, as well as surface waters of the territory. Methods. Certified methods: titration, photometry, capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography in the laboratory of the Tomsk branch of the A.A. Trofimuk Institute of Oil and Gas Geology and Geophysics. Results and conclusions. The authors conducted a study of the chemical composition of natural waters in disturbed and natural environments in the territory of Kuzbass. It was noted that the coal industry significantly affects the chemical composition of natural waters of Kuzbass, increasing mineralization and concentration of organic pollutants. Accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in deep aquifers emphasizes long-term environmental risks. The work shows that surface waters near industrial zones have increased mineralization (up to 1.83 g/l), high concentrations of Na⁺, SO₄²⁻ and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ΣPAH up to 0.88 μg/l). Groundwater demonstrates vertical zonality: in the zone of active water exchange ΣPAH ~0.59 μg/l, while in the deep layers of slow water exchange maximum values of C_org and ΣPAH were found. Phenanthrene and fluoranthene were identified as stable markers of technogenic impact in all water exchange zones. The results confirm the need for systemic monitoring, tightening of industrial discharge standards and development of water resource restoration strategies. The study defines the framework of the methodological basis for the analysis of organic pollution in coal regions, emphasizing the relationship between hydrogeological processes and anthropogenic impact.