Emission characteristics of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from water vapor (H2O, D2O, and a mixture of H2O and D2O vapors) excited by pulse-periodic discharges with open electrodes, as well as electrodes outside the discharge tube (capacitive discharge), are presented. Radiation is studied in a spectral range of 175 350 nm. The emission characteristics of a UV radiation source based on vapors of ordinary and "heavy" water, as well as the results of optimization of brightness of radiation bands from the OH and OD radicals as functions of pressure and the composition of the He-H2O and He-D2O mixtures, are reported.