Abstracto

Preliminary Quality and Potential Assessment of Groundwater in the Basement Complex Terrain of Ijero-Ekiti, Southwestern Nigeria

Abel Ojo Talabi, Ayodeji Kayode Ogundana

Field measurements are readily available/reliable (carried out on fresh/uncontaminated samples), easy to measure and relatively inexpensive. This study aimed at groundwater potential and quality assessments in Ijero-Ekiti using in-situ parameters (static water level, water depth, temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC)). Geographical locations of samples were measured using Devgru Dummy Garmin GPS. In addition, static water level and depth of wells were measured using dip meter while temperature, pH and EC were measured employing a Multiparameter TestrTm 35 series Meter. Elevation measurements (465.77 – 546.25m) revealed that the study area was of rugged topography and varied erosion surfaces. EC values were <1000μS/cm (av 517.83μS/cm) and pH ranged from 7.4–9.5 mg/L (av 8.42) indicating alkaline water. The temperature of sampled groundwater in the area was fairly uniform with an average value of 27.67Ã?Â?C. Groundwater in Ijero-Ekiti was assessed to be suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes based on EC values. However, the pH of some of the groundwater samples exceeded the WHO approved standard for drinking water warranting treatment of the groundwater before consumption. The average value of volume of water in the wells was 1.35m3. Groundwater potential using approximate volume of water in wells revealed that the wells in the pegmatite and calc-gneiss bedrocks have better potential compared to biotite-schist. However, with respect to quantity; the groundwater was grossly insufficient for irrigation. This research has provided a good preliminary check on groundwater potential and quality status of the study area.