Volume 13, Issue 2, February 2015, Pages 689–696
Christian O. Ede1 and Paulinus N. Nnabo2
1 Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria
2 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, Nigeria
Original language: English
Copyright © 2015 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Hydrogeochemical evaluation of groundwater quality of Abakaliki and its environs was carried out on a scale of 1:25,000. The concentrations of selected metals in 25 groundwater samples namely Fe, Pb Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, Ni, Ba, Ag and Cd were determined using Atomic Absorption/emission Spectrophotometer (AAS) 205model. The pH of the sample were determined using a handheld digital pH meter 350 model. The pH values ranged from 6.1-7.0 indicating that the samples are slightly neutral. Analysis for physico-chemical parameters and variables (ANOVA) was done using standard methods. StatistiXL 1.5 was used for performing the grouping. Chemical analysis and various concentrations of the heavy metal loads show that the groundwater has little or no trace of Fe (0.01mg/l) Cu (0.03mg/l) Zn (0.02mg/l) Pb (0.01mg/l) and Co (0.02mg/l) contamination. The concentrations of Fe (0.03 mg/l) Pb (0.01 mg/l),Co(0.03mg/l) and Zn (0.02mg/l) were in compliance with WHO (2011) permissible standard for drinking water while the concentration of Cd ranged from 0.11mg/l to 0.14mg/l and silver 0.06 mg/l to 0.08 mg/l are far above World Health Organisation standards indicating that the area are moderately contaminated with Cd and Ag. The hydrogeochemical analysis carried out during this study stands as a guide to the best sustainable management of some contaminated aquifer systems of Abakaliki and environs. Statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that Fe, Cu and Co were significant at P<0.05. The analysis reveals that the concentration of the various heavy metal load in the study area decreases away from the source point as in areas near to the Ricemill husk/cluster.
Author Keywords: Physical Parameters, Chemical Parameters, Asu-River Group, Groundwater and Geochemistry.
Christian O. Ede1 and Paulinus N. Nnabo2
1 Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria
2 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, Nigeria
Original language: English
Copyright © 2015 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Hydrogeochemical evaluation of groundwater quality of Abakaliki and its environs was carried out on a scale of 1:25,000. The concentrations of selected metals in 25 groundwater samples namely Fe, Pb Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, Ni, Ba, Ag and Cd were determined using Atomic Absorption/emission Spectrophotometer (AAS) 205model. The pH of the sample were determined using a handheld digital pH meter 350 model. The pH values ranged from 6.1-7.0 indicating that the samples are slightly neutral. Analysis for physico-chemical parameters and variables (ANOVA) was done using standard methods. StatistiXL 1.5 was used for performing the grouping. Chemical analysis and various concentrations of the heavy metal loads show that the groundwater has little or no trace of Fe (0.01mg/l) Cu (0.03mg/l) Zn (0.02mg/l) Pb (0.01mg/l) and Co (0.02mg/l) contamination. The concentrations of Fe (0.03 mg/l) Pb (0.01 mg/l),Co(0.03mg/l) and Zn (0.02mg/l) were in compliance with WHO (2011) permissible standard for drinking water while the concentration of Cd ranged from 0.11mg/l to 0.14mg/l and silver 0.06 mg/l to 0.08 mg/l are far above World Health Organisation standards indicating that the area are moderately contaminated with Cd and Ag. The hydrogeochemical analysis carried out during this study stands as a guide to the best sustainable management of some contaminated aquifer systems of Abakaliki and environs. Statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that Fe, Cu and Co were significant at P<0.05. The analysis reveals that the concentration of the various heavy metal load in the study area decreases away from the source point as in areas near to the Ricemill husk/cluster.
Author Keywords: Physical Parameters, Chemical Parameters, Asu-River Group, Groundwater and Geochemistry.
How to Cite this Article
Christian O. Ede and Paulinus N. Nnabo, “HYDROGEOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY OF ABAKALIKI AND ITS ENVIRONS, SOUTH EASTERN NIGERIA,” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 689–696, February 2015.
