Reassessing Groundwater Potentials and Subsurface water Hydrochemistry in a Tropical Anambra Basin, Southeastern Nigeria (original) (raw)
Related papers
Hydrogeochemistry of groundwater in parts of the Ayensu Basin of Ghana
2012
Twenty five groundwater samples were collected from parts of the Ayensu Basin in the Central Region of Ghana and were analysed for their physicochemical characteristics. The physicochemical parameters; pH, Conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), calcium (Ca 2+), magnesium (Mg 2+), sodium (Na +), potassium (K +), bicarbonate (HCO 3 2-), chloride (Cl-), sulphate (SO 4 2-) and nitrate (NO 3-) were analysed to know the present groundwater quality as well as the possible source of ions in the groundwater. The groundwater in the area is fresh and the dominant water types in the study area are Na-Cl and Na-HCO 3-Cl: the occurrence of these facies is identified to be probably due to the dissolution of soluble salts in the soil horizon and aerosol spray. The occurrence of Na + , Cl-, K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ and SO 4 2in the groundwaters was also found to be probably caused by sea aerosol spray and decay of organic matter. Keywords groundwater; Ayensu Basin; salinity; major ions. 1 Introduction Access to good potable water is a prerequisite to good health, such that in its absence, people are susceptible to water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, burulli ulcer and typhoid. Even though Ghana is well endowed with water resources, the amount of water available changes markedly from season to season, as well as from year to year. The availability of water is also decreasing owing to rainfall variability (climate change), rapid population growth, increased environmental degradation, pollution of rivers and draining of wetlands (WRC, 2008; Ackah et al., 2011). Also water is not available in large quantities at all areas. Some areas have more than others. For instance the two main sources of pipe-borne water in the Central Region are the Kwanyako water supply system which serves the eastern districts of the region and the Brimso water supply system which serves Cape Coast and other southern districts. However, in recent years, the capacity of the Brimso Dam has fallen considerably due to poor environmental practices. This has created serious water problems in the surrounding districts. Reliable data on water quality is of importance for proper management, protection and development of ground and surface water resources for the future (WRC, 2008). A comprehensive study on the quality of the groundwater in the basin is therefore required so as to understand its chemical characteristics.
Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 2019
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology, 2016
Shallow groundwater in Ikere-Ekiti was assessed for potability and irrigation employing chemical and bacterial analyses. Twenty two groundwater samples were collected and analyzed using Atomic absorption spectrometer for cations and ion chromatographic method for anions determinations (˚C), pH and electrical conductivity (EC) (µS/cm) were measured in the field using pH Testr meter. The bacteriological analysis was carried out using nutrient agar medium to obtain plate count of living bacteria. Results of the analysis revealed that all EC values were less than 1000µS/cm indicating fresh water. The pH with average values of 9.48, 7.82 and 7.44 in migmatite, granite and charnockitic terrains respectively exceeded the approved standard (6.5-8.5) for drinking water in two samples from migmatite, one sample from granitic terrain and none from the charnockites. Sodium was the dominant cation with average concentrations (mg/L) of 95.65, 38.33 and 6.61 in migmatite, granite and charnockite respectively while K + ions in the same order of rock units have average concentrations (mg/L) of 60.49, 32.33 and 15.77. The average concentrations (mg/L) of Ca 2+ ions in groundwater located on migmatite, granite and charnockitic terrains were 36.67, 24.63 and 10.98 respectively while those for Mg 2+ were 9.94, 7.48 and 4.57. The order of cation abundance was Na + > K + > Ca 2+ > Mg 2+. In respect of the major anions, Clwas dominant with average concentrations (mg/L) in charnockites (187.20) within approved standard of 250mg/L while the average values (mg/L) in migmatite (475.2) and granite (340.62) exceeded the standard value. Following the same sequence of rock units, HCO3average concentrations (mg/L) were 34.6mg/L, 27.07mg/L and 25.7. Sulphate and nitrate were less dominant ions and the order of anions abundance in the groundwater was Cl-> HCO3-> SO4 2-> NO3-. Bacteria evaluation revealed that all sampled groundwater tested positive to bacteria with TBC values (CFU/100ml) ranging from 1.76X10 8 to 1.78X10 9 in migmatite, 5.3x10 5 to 8.9x10 8 in granite and 2.55x10 7 to 8.2x10 8 in charnockite. Gibb's diagram revealed that chemical weathering of rock-forming minerals has contributed to solute source in the groundwater of the area. Water type on migmatite was mainly NaCl while granite and charnockite had NaCl and CaCl types revealing lithologic effects. Irrigation water quality assessment employing Sodium absorption ratio (SAR), Soluble sodium percent (SSP), Residual sodium bicarbonate (RSBC) and Permeability index (PI) revealed that the groundwater is suitable for irrigation purpose. Groundwater in the study area is low mineralized, chemically potable, suitable for irrigation but infected by bacteria pollutants. Differences in rock types affected the chemistry of the groundwater as reflected in their physico-chemical compositions, water facies and irrigation quality.
Agriculture
Groundwater is increasingly being used to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 and 6 in many parts of the world, including Ghana. Against this background, hydrogeochemical and multivariate statistical studies were conducted to determine the physicochemical characteristics and suitability of groundwater in some agrarian communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana for drinking and irrigational farming. Additional analyses were also performed to identify potential health risks associated with the groundwater use and to better understand the hydrogeochemical processes controlling groundwater evolution for its effective management. The results showed that the groundwater is typically fresh; moderate to very hard in character; undersaturated with calcite, dolomite, halite, and gypsum; and supersaturated with quartz and amorphous silica. The physicochemical characteristics of the groundwater are controlled by both anthropogenic and natural activities/processes, such as fe...
Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 2019
This study was conducted to appraise the quality of groundwater for irrigation and domestic water supply in the Ga West Municipality, Ghana. A total of 29 borehole water samples were collected for hydrogeochemical analysis and interpreted using hydrogeochemical plots and multivariate statistical analysis. The relative abundance of the major ions in the analyzed water samples were in the order Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ and HCO3− > Cl− > SO42−. Trilinear Piper plot shows that NaHCO3Cl and NaCaHCO3Cl are the dominant water types in the area. The Ca2+ and HCO3− in these type of waters are primarily from dissolution of carbonate minerals whilst the Na+ and Cl− may have been input from water-rock interaction with granitic rocks, seawater intrusion, and anthropogenic activities in the watershed. All the analyzed physico-chemical parameters are within the acceptable limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking except TDS, total hardness, Na+, and Cl− which could be as a result of solid waste leachate and marine water intrusion. The samples have low to medium sodium hazard values with high to very high salinity hazard values when plotted on the Wilcox diagram. This suggests that the water is suitable for irrigation purposes with regard to sodium hazard but a mixing of the high salinity water with low salinity water is highly recommended prior to irrigation to reduce the salinity hazard in the area. However, if the crops are salt tolerant, then mixing is not necessary. Three factors explain 99.8% of the total variance and suggest that water–rock interaction is the most important factor that controls the groundwater chemistry. Besides, some contribution from agricultural activities and seawater mixing are the other factors influencing the groundwater chemistry. These factors are indicated by the positive correlation among the individual hydrochemical parameters.
2015
The qualitative evaluation and hydrogeochemical attributes of groundwater in Owerri Capital Territory Owerri was investigated to assess the quality for human consumption and agricultural purposes. A total of sixteen (16) groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for physicochemical and biological properties. The range of temperature (oC), colour (Hz), and turbidity of groundwater in the study area are between: 20-28.3, 5-15, and 1-50 respectively. The average of pH , conductivity (us/cm),TDS (mg/l), and hardness (mg/l) are: 7.66, 0.135, 34.64, and 7.94 respectively. The result also reveals that the concentration of Na+(mg/l), K+(mg/l), Ca2+(mg/l), Mg2+(mg/l), Fe+(mg/l), Pb2+(mg/l),Cd2+(mg/l), Cu+(mg/l),and Zn2+ (mg/l) range between: 3.33-7.6, 0.2-6.8, 2.4-8.3,1.02-3.44, 0.001-0.59, 0.001-0.01, 0-0.16, 0.06-2.88 and 0.01-2.18 respectively. Water Classification result of the groundwater samples show the predominance of alkali bicarbonate water type (Na+ + K+) - HCO3- that is lar...
Groundwater is important for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes in many parts of the world. Consequently, there is a need to monitor its quality and ensure that it is within the acceptable standard for drinking and irrigation purposes. In this study, groundwater in Uzebba area, south - western Nigeria was evaluated for physicochemical parameters to determine its potability and use for irrigation... Depth-to-water level measurements were made to determine the groundwater flow regime. The hydrogeology is characterized by groundwater flow in unconfined and confined aquifers which are mostly well-sorted friable sands and silts with intercalated claystone. Groundwater in the study area belongs to (Cl+SO4+HCO3) + (Cl+SO4) group. Base Exchange Indices (BEI) classified groundwater as Na+-SO42- type, while meteoric genesis indices indicate deep meteoric water percolation type. Factor analysis shows that Na+, Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, Fe2+, SO42-, salinity, TDS and EC were the group of parameters that have the greatest influence on groundwater characteristics. Based on the hydrochemical assessment, it is surmised that groundwater in the area is suitable for drinking water and irrigation purposes.
A total of 20 groundwater samples from boreholes and hand dug wells within Onicha-Uburu and its environs were assessed to determine their suitability for irrigation purposes. Physical and hydrogeochemical parameters were evaluated, while techniques such as sodium absorption ratio (SAR), sodium percent, residual sodium carbonate (RSC) and magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR) were used to assess the suitability of these groundwater samples for the intended purpose. Results indicated that temperature ranges between 20 and 26°C for hand dug wells and 19 and 23°C for borehole samples. The electrical conductivity (EC) varies from 8.4 to 36.4 μs/cm for the hand dug wells and 10.0 to 76.4 μs/cm for the borehole water samples, while pH values range between 7.0 and 9.0 for the entire samples and indicate alkaline water. Statistical analysis shows appreciable concentrations of basic ions (average value of 28.8 mg/l for Na+, 9.1 mg/l for K+, 16.0 mg/l for Ca2+, 14.6 mg/l for Mg2+, Nil for C03 2-, as well as 45.0 mg/l for HC03 -, 20.5 for mg/l Cl- and 8.7 mg/l for S04 2-). While Na+ and Ca2+ are the predominant cations, HC03 - and Cl-1 are the anions that predominate. The chemical analysis revealed that the total hardness (measured in terms of CaCO3) varied from 16 to 140 mg/l for both sets of samples indicating soft to moderately hard water. Based on the values of EC, percent sodium, SAR (which vary from 0.3 to 1.7 meq/l), RSC (from 0.1 to 0.99 meq/l less than the standard value of 1.25 meq/l) and the magnesium hazard (MH) values which range between 0.99 and 89.8%, revealed that water samples from the study area are generally suitable for irrigation purposes except for few locations.
Hydrogeochemical evaluation of groundwater in the lower Offin basin, Ghana
Environmental Geology, 2007
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.