The paper focuses on the assessment of suitability of groundwater springs in Kharkiv oblast for the alternative and reserve drinking water supply, based on the quantitative characteristics of spring water, springs arrangement features, and their location. The most favorable hydrogeological conditions for spring water flow are observed in the areas of extensive development of the porous and stratal Mezhyhiria aquifer formation and fractured deposits of Obukhiv Eocene aquifer formation with a rather severe topography in river valleys and ravines. On ArcGIS Online platform, the authors have developed the open geodatabase containing the information on 513 springs of Kharkiv oblast. It is available at https://arcg.is/0SKLvO. It has been found out that 45% of the studied springs are located within settlements or within 1 km, i.e. within walking distance. The highest density of springs and spring water reserves has been found in the northern part of oblast. Quantitative analysis of the available spring water resources has shown that springs are capable to satisfy the needs in drinking water for the total population of the whole Kharkiv oblast only by the daytime flow which is as high as 400 l/s. At the same time, a significant part of natural springs in the oblast has not yet been studied and/or properly equipped with tapping. When studied and equipped with tanks for accumulating water during night-time, springs have the potential to provide sufficient water for the population of Kharkiv oblast not only for drinking purposes but also for domestic and hygienic needs. The conducted study substantiates the possibility of using groundwater springs for the decentralized drinking water supply in emergency cases if the tapping and entrance to it are properly arranged and if relevant measures for the groundwater quality conservation are implemented in the areas of spring water flows