Physicochemical and Microbiological Assessment of Ground Water in Ipogun in Ondo State

Bada AA, Osuolale OO, Momoh A and Danbaki SN

Published on: 2025-01-27

Abstract

The study investigated the physiochemical and microbiological assessment of water sources (groundwater) in Ipogun village, which were boreholes and wells. Water samples were collected from two (2) different settlements in the village, which were one well and one borehole water sample from the police station area in Ipogun and 2 wells and 2 boreholes from the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) national rural water supply programme. The physicochemical, heavy metals, and microbiological analyses were determined using standard procedures. The groundwater samples from each settlement contain normal pH of 6-8.5. Some water samples were soft (below 60 mg/l), while some were moderately hard (60-120 mg/l); the hardness of the water samples was within the permissible range of the WHO standard (60-180 mg/l). The conductivity levels of the water samples were below the WHO standard of 150-500 µS/cm. The water samples were slightly acidic because all pH obtained from the water samples were below 7.0. The alkalinity levels of the water samples (4 mg/l-15.4 mg/l) were below the WHO permissible standard of 20-200 mg/l. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) was used to analyze the concentration of heavy metals in the water sample to check for the presence of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu). The concentration of cadmium (Cd) was above the WHO standard; BH1, BH3, WL2, and WL3 showed low concentrations of lead (Pb), while BH2 and WL1 contained concentrations of lead within the WHO standard. All water samples had concentrations of zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) below the WHO standard, while copper (Cu) was not detected in all the water samples from Ipogun. The microbiological results showed that the water samples from Ipogun showed high bacteria pollution and can be attributed to both the shallow depth at which water is tapped, settlement patterns, and land use practices. The bacterial pollution of shallow wells around Ipogun is anthropogenic in origin. The Escherichia coli in the water samples shows that there is the presence of fecal contamination. Proteus vulgaris, Serratia marcescens, Bacillus cereus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are opportunistic bacteria. Conclusively, regular and quantified monitoring of geochemical characteristics of groundwater for sustainable water management, as well as good sanitary conditions of wells, should be maintained at all times to minimize the contamination of the well water.