Evaluation of Aquifer Protective Capacity and Groundwater Potential in Part of Iju, Akure-North, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Groundwater potential and aquifer protective capacity of the overburden unit was evaluated in part of Iju, Akure North, Ondo State using integrated geophysical methods involving Very Low Frequency Electromagnetic (VLF-EM) profiling and Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES). Four major traverses were established of varying length extents. The VLF-EM measurements were taken along the four major profiles of 10 m station interval.Forty two (42) Vertical Electrical Soundings were also conducted with half electrode spacing varying between 1 and 100 m and interpretation was done using the partial curve matching techniques and computer aided iteration. Five subsurface geological units were identified from geoelectric sections, consisting of the top soil, lateritic, weathered, partly weathered and fresh basement layers consecutively. For the first layer, resistivityranges between 23 and 323 Ωm with values of thickness ranging between 0.5 and 2.2 m. The resistivity and thickness of the second (lateritic) layer range from 132 to 430 Ωm and 1.6 to 4 m respectively. The resistivity of the weathered layer ranges from 4 to 94 Ωm and variable thickness between 10 and 24.4 m. The fourth layer has a resistivity value range of 65 to 120 Ωm and thicknesses between 20 and 30 m. The basement bedrock (fifth layer) has resistivity values between 770 and 820 Ωm. The depth to bedrock ranges from 1.8 to 31 m. The geophysical data and the basement aquifer delineated were then used to evaluate the hydrogeological setting and aquifer protective capacity of the study area. The observation from the results shows that close to 70 % of the study area falls within the zones of low groundwater potential, 25 % falls within medium potential zones while only 5 % make up the high potential zones. 75 % of the study area constituted the weak to poor protective capacity zones.