Impact of Oil Pollution on the Water Quality of Ekehuan River, Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract:

In this study, the impact of locally refined petroleum products on the water quality of Ekehuan River was investigated between April, 2013 and January, 2014 to determine the water quality status using the limits set by Nigerian standard and WHO guidelines for drinking water quality as a guide. Water samples were collected from three stations; station I was located in the oil impacted Ekehuan River, which is a tributary of Ovia River, while stations II and III were located along the stretch of Ovia River at Gelegele community as control stations. The water samples were analyzed for water and air temperatures, pH, conductivity, TDS, DO, BOD, COD, sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, some selected heavy metals and total hydrocarbon concentration (THC). At the oil impacted station 1, DO and Water Temperature were significantly lower, while Total hydrocarbon concentration was significantly higher (p 0.05) across the stations. However, the levels of cadmium, nickel and lead at all stations were much higher than the Nigerian standard and WHO guidelines for drinking water quality. These findings are indicative that the water quality at station 1 is compromised and not fit for consumption.