Assesment of Sawmill and other Associated Wastes on the Water Quality of Ilo-abuchi Creek, Rivers State, Niger Delta

Abstract

A study was conducted on physicochemical parameters water from Ilo-abuchi, creek Niger Delta, Nigeria. The study aimed at evaluating the impact of sawmills and other associated wastes on water quality of the creek. The physicochemical parameters investigated were from February to July 2020 and the samples were analysed for pH, Temperature, Salinity, Conductivity, Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), and Total alkalinity using an in-situ Handheld Multimeter (Milwaukee Model pH600 and Laboratory Benchtop meter 860033-model. The Dissolved Oxygen (DO) was measured using Winkler’s method. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) was determined by the 5-day BOD test (APHA, 2005). Turbidity was measured using a 20cm diameter Secchi disc. Total alkalinity was determined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM D 1067B) Nitrate, Chloride, Phosphate, and Sulphate were determined using the method recommended by APHA 2340C (1995) standard. Water Temperature ranges between 27.7 -27.8 OC, pH 6.65 - 6.73, Conductivity 438.2 - 494.2 μS/cm, Salinity 2.8 -3.23ppt, TDS 77 – 87.27 mg/l, TSS 30.7 - 37.66 mg/l, DO 3.19 – 3.46 mg/l, BOD 2.05 - 3.38 mg/l, Turbidity 5.41- 5.98 NTU, Nitrate 8.78 - 10.02 mg/l, Hardness 31.77 - 33.98 mg/l, Chloride 23.03 -25.7 mg/l, Phosphorus 0.31 - 0.51 mg/l, Sulphate 13.27 - 16.60 mg/l. Alterations in water quality were more pronounced in the wet season (May, June, and July) compared to the dry season (February and March, and April). The nature of the effluents discharged into the creek were found to be essentially within the acceptable limits prescribed by law except for TSD and turbidity. These two parameters were slightly above the WHO standards. It is therefore recommended that environmental regulatory agencies such as NESREA and the Ministry of Environment should devise mechanisms to enforce existing environmental regulations concerning the discharge of effluents from different sources into the Ilo-abuchi Creek, which will aid in reducing the dumping of untreated wastes from the sawmills/other associated wastes and by extension conserve the aquatic life therein.