Evaluation of the physical parameters of water obtained from some groundwater sources of Tabuk city, Kingdom Saudi Arabia

Abstract

After air, water is the second most important element for life, based on that, water quality parameters (physical, chemical and biological) should be concerned to detect contamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical parameter of water brought from some groundwater sources of Tabuk City. A cross-sectional design was followed to collect groundwater from 12 sites (randomly selected) within Tabuk City to measure water temperature, color, odor, taste and turbidity, in addition to record the groundwater depth. In aseptic and clean plastic sample containers, 250 ml of the groundwater were collected. Water temperature was measured using a manual thermometer, immediately when it was collected. The data concerned the depth of the groundwater was obtained directly from the owners during groundwater sampling. The water color, odor, taste, in addition to turbidity were measured using the general human sense. The obtained physical parameters were compared with the local standards of the drinking water suggested by MEWA (2022). The results of this study show that, the groundwater temperature for the 12 samples obtained from Tabuk City ranged between 26oC and 33oC, with a mean of 29.33oC, while the groundwater depth (in meter) ranged between 120 m and 700 m with a mean depth of 479.2 m. The physical parameters of drinking water compared to the Saudi standards of quality showed that, all tested samples were agreed with the quality standards on color, odor, taste and turbidity. This work recommends for the prudent use of groundwater resources to keep its quality for long term usage as a drinking water.