The Assessment of Heavy Metals Concentration in Groundwater: A Case Study of the Wa Municipality

Hamidatu S Darimani,Jonathan Kwofie,Justine G Tuolong

doi:10.5296/emsd.v9i1.15945

Abstract

Water is a basic need for both domestic and industrial purposes. Regardless of the source of water it should not be contaminated. The purpose of this study is to establish the presence of heavy metals contaminants in groundwater in the Wa Municipality, Ghana. The study is an experiment of six (6) sample units which include: three (3) boreholes, two (2) wells and a sample from the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) reservoir. The findings showed that Nitrite in JH1 (3.65 mg/l) and Iron in BM1 (1.365 mg/l) were beyond the benchmarks while other parameters in the rest of the sample units were within the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Notwithstanding, the test was not significant (p = 0.359) at alpha 0.05 two tail test. The study concludes that the groundwater in the Wa Municipality is not much contaminated and is safe for drinking with minimum treatment.

Highlights

In the management of water resources, the identification of heavy metals is primary important because of their influence on the quality of groundwater and on the human beings
The purpose of this study is to establish the presence of heavy metals contaminants in groundwater in the Wa Municipality, Ghana
The findings showed that Nitrite in JH1 (3.65 mg/l) and Iron in BM1 (1.365 mg/l) were beyond the benchmarks while other parameters in the rest of the sample units were within the World Health Organization (WHO) standards

Summary

Introduction

In the management of water resources, the identification of heavy metals is primary important because of their influence on the quality of groundwater and on the human beings. Trace elements are generally present in small concentration in natural water system Their occurrence in groundwater and surface water can be due to natural sources such as dissolution of naturally occurring minerals containing trace elements in the soil zone or the aquifer material or to human activities such as mining, fuels, smelting of ores and improper disposal of industrial wastes. According to Vodela (1997) and Cobbina et al (2015) some common heavy metals that humans are exposed to include Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu) and Manganese (Mn). They further explained that high level of concentration of these metals in water may have various health effects on consumers

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