Assessment of Physical Properties and Heavy Metals in Borehole Water from Ogale, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State

Aim: To assess the physical properties and some heavy metal levels of borehole water in Ogale, Eleme local government area of Rivers State.

Study Design: Water samples were collected from boreholes of twelve (12) communities in Ogale, Eleme and analyzed for physical parameters and heavy metal concentrations.

Place and Duration of Study: The samples collected from various sites were analyzed in the Laboratory of the Department of Chemistry, Rivers State University from November, 2016 to January, 2017.

Methodology: The physical properties were analyzed via standard methods while the heavy metals were assessed using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Results: The pH varied from 4.6 – 6.1 which is below the standard recommended by the Standards Organization of Nigeria. Other physical parameters were below the maximum permitted limit. However, the total suspended solids and turbidity in Nsisioken, Ekirinde and Oken-eta were above the maximum permitted level. The concentration of Pb in all samples was above the maximum permitted limit of 0.01 mg/L. The concentration of Ni was above the permitted limit (0.02 mg/L) in boreholes at Ekpangbala, Ejii, Agbi and Nsisioken while the concentration of Cd is above the maximum permitted limit of 0.003 mg/L in boreholes in all the communities apart from Okori (0.002 ± 0.001 mg/L). The concentrations of other heavy metals (i.e. Zn, Cr and Mn) were below the permitted limit in all samples. The spatial distribution of the commulative heavy metals in the area suggests that Pb, Cd and Ni may have originated from the same source due to their positive correlations.

Conclusion: The low pH and relative high concentrations of Pb, Cd and Ni suggest that water from the boreholes in the area were of low quality for domestic use thus requires treatment and monitoring.