Quality Assessment of Groundwater Sources of Potable Water in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The research investigated the quality of ground waters in boreholes used as potable water (drinking water and other domestic purposes) in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Three boreholes were randomly selected from numerous boreholes in Owerri. Water analyses were carried out for their physicochemical parameters, major ions, nutrients and bacteriological quality. The obtained average values from the analyses are: total iron (Fe) (mg/L) = 0.03, pH = 5.9, nitrate (mg/L) = 3.0, nitrate (mg/L) = nil. The observed average values were compared with standard values of the World Health Organization (WHO) for potable water. The results showed that the groundwater qualities from the selected borehole samples are generally low in dissolved constituents and therefore it recommends that borehole waters from areas around Owerri are generally acceptable as potable water for human consumption.