Water Quality Assessment of Surface and Groundwater Sources Using a Water Quality Index Method: A Case Study of a Peri-Urban Town in Southwest, Nigeria

Samuel Olasoji,Nather Oyewole,Bayode Abiola,Joshua Edokpayi

doi:10.3390/environments6020023

Samuel Olasoji, Nather Oyewole + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/environments6020023

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Abstract

Sustainable access to safe drinking water remains a global problem as more people in the world still consume water from unimproved sources. This study was carried out to evaluate the quality of 12 different water sources and 2 treated water used by a peri-urban town in the Southwest region of Nigeria to assess their suitability for drinking and domestic use. Water quality parameters studied include pH, temperature, acidity, total alkalinity, chloride content and total CO2. A Flame Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine the concentrations of Ca, Mg, Cu, Cr, and Pb in the water samples. The total coliform was determined using the most probable number technique while a qualitative method was used to detect the presence of faecal coliform and E. coli in the water samples. All the physicochemical water quality parameters complied with regulatory standards. Similarly, most of the heavy metals also complied except for some sites. Faecal coliform and E. coli tested positive for all the samples except one of the tap water sample. Majority of the water samples (86%) were rated as excellent based on the physicochemical parameters. One sample each was rated as having poor and good water quality, respectively. All the samples tested positive for faecal coliform bacteria and E. coli except one (treated water). It is recommended that Microbial water quality parameters be included in all Water Quality Index (WQI) analyses in order to give the true status of the quality of a water resource.

Highlights

The consumption of water from surface and groundwater sources without any form of treatment is widely reported in the literature [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
The presence of faecal coliform and E. coli in all the water sources except in tap the facility
The presence of faecal coliform and E. coli in all the water sources except in tap water water indicate that they are not fit for human consumption without prior adequate treatment

Summary

Introduction

The consumption of water from surface and groundwater sources without any form of treatment is widely reported in the literature [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. Groundwater is often the first alternative choice of many consumers due to its perceived cleanness and safeness. Many studies have shown that groundwater can appear clean but houses a wide variety of pathogenic organisms. Groundwater with high fluoride, arsenic, mercury and Environments 2019, 6, 23; doi:10.3390/environments6020023 www.mdpi.com/journal/environments. There is an urgent need for the constant monitoring of groundwater as a major component of Water Resource Management [15,16,17]

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