Abstract
A hydrogeochemical study of groundwater was carried out in Kurgwi and Environs. The aim of the study was to determine the chemical composition of the various water sources in the area and their suitability for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. Forty (40) water samples from shallow (hand-dug) wells were collected and analysed. Major cations and trace elements were analysed using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer and the anions and bicarbonate were determined by double VV-visible spectrophotometer (Hitachi model 2000).and titration methods respectively. Results of laboratory analysis and plots on Piper Trillinear diagrams show the dominant water type in the area to be Ca-Na-HCO 3 water. Physico-chemical parameters of waters in the areas show most concentrations are within WHO permissible limits for drinking. However, calcium, potassium, TDS, total hardness and electrical conductivity are above the WHO upper limits in few locations and so are aluminium, iron, and manganese. Geogenic sources as well as minor anthropogenic activities have been observed to be the major control on the composition of groundwater in the area. Groundwater in the area is generally not very suitable for domestic purpose such as laundry, but is suitable for livestock and irrigation purposes.
Highlights
The quality of groundwater is as important as it quantity (Fetter, 2007)
Symbol map of pH and Total dissolved solids (TDS) for the study area are presented in Figure 2 and 3, the static water levels in the study area have depths ranging from 4.25 to 14.9m
In the study area 22 of the forty (40) locations have their electrical conductivities above WHO permissible limit of 300us/cm
Summary
Groundwater quality determines the usefulness to which the water can be put for the safety and well being of human lives (Schwartz and Zhang, 2002). Consumption of contaminated drinking water may be hazardous to human health and epidemiological studies have shown that many communities suffer from diseases linked to groundwater ingestion several decades ago (Jordan and Batista, 2004). Southern Plateau is a lowland area composed of basement complex rocks overlain in some areas by sedimentary rocks of the Middle Benue Trough. The study area is characterized by pockets of the basement complex rocks occurring mostly as low relief outcrops. Within the crystalline environment (areas underlain by basement complex rocks) groundwater yield are relatively fair and hand dug wells are relatively shallow. Groundwater sources in the area are recharged mainly through precipitation during the rainy season and seepage within the water shed into adjoining surface sources (Dung, 2014)
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