Assessing Groundwater Vulnerability to the Activities of Artisanal Refining in Bolo and Environs, Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State; Nigeria
Gordon T. Amangabara, John D. Njoku
International Journal of Environment and Climate Change · pp. 28–36 · Published 7 Mar 2012
10.9734/BJECC/2012/1088Abstract
Artisanal refining typically involves primitive illegal stills in which crude oil is boiled and the resultant fumes are collected, cooled and condensed in tanks to be used locally for lighting, energy or transport. The distilleries are heated on open fires fed by crude oil that is tipped into pits in the ground. As part of the oil burns away, some seeps into the ground. The waste from the process is stored in open pits thereby increasing the risk of the contamination of the environment and possibly impacting the underground aquifer. It is this concern of crude oil seeping to the groundwater that necessitated the current investigation with the sole objective of assessing the vulnerability of the aquifer to the activities of artisanal refining. Soil, water and crude oil samples from artisanal refining sites were collected according to standard procedures and transferred to the laboratory for analyses to determine their properties. An empirical method was adopted in estimating the permeability. The Kozeny – Carman equation for deriving the coefficient of permeability takes the porosity (η) into account. Using a typical soil porosity η = 0.4, mean particle size = 0.05 and mean viscosity determined from crude samples permeability estimate was calculated to be 3.6 x 10-8cm/s, infiltration was assessed using a simplified version of Darcy’s law. With a typical superficial soil permeability of 3.6 x 10-8 cm/s, depth of ponding of 0.5m, and a wetting front of 0.4m, an estimated infiltration rate of 1.15 x 10-8cm/s can be expected. Given the infiltration rate and the depth to groundwater (water table is between 3m and 8m), we calculated the time for crude oil contaminant plume to intercept the water table simply re-expressing the equation for velocity as distance/time which results in approximately 4.6 years. The character of the water from the area indicates that groundwater is already being impacted given that artisanal refining has been going on in the area since 2002.
References (7)
- 1 Outline of Geology of Niger Delta [DOI]
- 2 Enhanced degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil treated with an advanced oxidative process — Fenton's Reagent [DOI]
- 3 Investigation into the physico-chemical properties and hydrochemical processes of groundwater from commercial boreholes In Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria [DOI]
- 4 Determination of the Contamination of Groundwater Sources in Okrika Mainland with Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) [DOI]
- 5 Assessing Aquifer Vulnerability to Contaminants near Solid Waste Landfill Sites in a Coastal Environment, Port Harcourt, Nigeria [DOI]
- 6 Effect of solid waste landfill on underground and surface water quality at ring road, Ibadan, Nigeria [DOI]
- 7 Principles of environmental chemistry [DOI]
Cited by 46
Ephraim-Emmanuel, Benson Chukwunweike, Enembe, Okokon; id_orcid, Okokon Enembe, Ordinioha Best, Chukwunweike, Ephraim-Emmanuel, Benson · Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology · 2022
Olubunmi E. Fagbote, Edward O. Olanipekun · Journal of Scientific Research and Reports · 2013
Ajibola R. Oyebamiji, Mohammad A. Hoque, Malcolm Whitworth · Earth Systems and Environment · 2024
Bitrus Eniyekenimi Daukere · Journal of Economic Criminology · 2025
Tudararo-Aherobo Laurelta, Maya Bright · International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology · 2023
Adegbite A. Adesipo, Dirk Freese, Alfreda O. Nwadinigwe · Scientific African · 2020
Shivika Datta, Simranjeet Singh, Praveen C. Ramamurthy · Environmental Contamination Remediation and Management · 2023
Faithwin Gbadamosi, Jared Aldstadt · Tropical Medicine & International Health · 2025
P. Ikezam, E. I. Elenwo, C. U. Oyegun · Environmental Management and Sustainable Development · 2021
Joseph Ikechukwu. Nwachukwu, Chinelo Lois. Gilbert, Michael A. Nwachukwu · Waste Management Bulletin · 2024
Showing 19 of 46 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.
Related research
- Malaria, Typhoid, and PCV Variations: A Cross-sectional Study in Akinima, Nigeria — shares topic coverage
- Climate Change Impacts on Livelihood Vulnerability Assessment-Adaptation and Mitigation Options in Marine Hot Spots in Kerala, India — shares topic coverage
- Measuring Climate Change Vulnerability and its Adaptive Capacity: Policies and Planning for Bangladesh — shares topic coverage
- Comparative Vulnerability Assessment of Urban Heat Islands in Two Tropical Cities in Indonesia — shares topic coverage
- Determinants of Rural Households Food Insecurity in Southern Ethiopia — shares topic coverage
Article metrics
Real usage data collected on this platform.
111
Page views
0
PDF downloads
55
Outbound clicks
46
Citations
Views over time
Views by country
Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".
Traffic sources
Referring site, by host.
Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.