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https://doi.org/10.56556/gssr.v1i1.299  

                                                                  

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Groundwater Quality Assessment In Aka-Offot Industrial Layout, Uyo, Akwa Ibom 
State, Nigeria  
 

Umana S. Umana1* 

 
1Department of Geology, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria 
 
Corresponding author: Umana S. Umana. Email:   umanaedo@yahoo.com 

Received: 27 July, 2022, Accepted: 28 August, 2022, Published: 04 September, 2022 

 

 

Abstract 

Groundwater quality assessment was carried out on water samples from five boreholes collected through simple random 

sampling method during wet and dry seasons within Aka-Offot Industrial Layout, Uyo and a non-industrialized area 

(control site). The aim was to assess their quality by determining their physico-chemical properties and heavy metals for 

comparison with the control site and the world’s threshold standards. Water samples were collected with polyethylene 

bottles that were initially rinsed with 10% hydrochloric acid then with sample water. Two samples were collected from 

each borehole. One was for physico-chemical properties determinations while the other one was for heavy metal analysis. 

HNO2 was added in the samples for heavy metal analysis for preservation of the metals. The samples were stored in an 

ice-packed cooler kit to the laboratory for analysis. The results revealed that the temperature of the water was slightly 

above WHO standard but fell below FEPA standard; turbidity and electrical conductivity fell within the permissible 

limits. The water was acidic because the mean pH value was lower than the permissible limit; dissolved oxygen was 

significantly low while biological oxygen demand was higher than the permissible limit signifying high load of organisms 

and impurities in the water. The total dissolved solid, ammonium, nitrate and sulphate were below the permissible limits. 

The mean values of Fe, Pb, Zn, Cr and Co fell below the permissible limits. For Cd, it’s dry season mean value was a 

little above WHO permissible limit but fell below FEPA standard while the dry season mean value of Mn was above 

FEPA’s permissible limit but all of them fell within the WHO limit. However, industrial wastes disposed in this area have 

had adverse effects on the groundwater. Therefore, adequate waste management method is one of the recommendations 

prescribed for a healthy and sustainable environment.      

 

Keywords: Groundwater quality; Physico-chemical properties; heavy metals; permissible limits 

 

 

Introduction 

Water is one of the essential needs of man. Security access 

to potable water supply is a central issue of concern not 

only in urban areas but much more in rural areas (Atser and 

Akpabio, 2015). The importance of water supply for 

domestic use cannot be compromised not only because of 

its social and economic values (Atser and Udoh, 2014), but 

also, because water based sources of livelihood have 

become critical to the survival and health of both urban and 

rural households, providing valuable contributions to them 

(Bain et al., 2014). Water is therefore a very strategic 

socio-economic asset especially in poor economies where 

wealth and survival are measured by the level of an access 

to water. Access to water supply is therefore one of the key 

factors that enhance the well-being of the households 

(Yange et al., 2013). In Nigeria, water supply like in other 

developing countries is facing serious challenges many of 

which are economic and socio-political in nature 

(Alayande, 2005). 

Groundwater is one of the earth’s most widely distributed, 

replenishable resources. It is about 0.6% of the total global 

water resources and out of this, only 0.3% is being used for 

economic purposes (Raghunath, 2007). In most countries, 

people depend on groundwater as the only source of 

drinking water because, groundwater is comparatively 

much clean and free from pollution than the surface water 

(Mangukiya et al., 2012). Contamination and over 

exploitation are the major reasons for groundwater 

deterioration (Yadav et al., 2012). Though recent years 

shift in usage from surface water to groundwater has 

controlled problems of microbiological and trace elements 

to a certain extent, but the same has led to newer problems 

of fluorosis, arsenicosis and salinity due to over-

exploitation of groundwater (Singh et al., 2013). Moreso, 

the extensive use of fertilizers, pesticides, discharge of 

industrial effluents, domestic sewage and solid waste 

dump, landfills and many other anthropogenic activities are 

the major sources of groundwater contamination mostly in 

the third world countries. This is rising day by day across  

the world due to extreme residential, municipal, 

commercial, industrial and intensive agricultural practices 

because the rate of discharge of pollutants into the 

groundwater is higher than the rate of purification 

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(Murhekar et al., 2012). Therefore, it has become   

important to protect the groundwater resource against 

contamination in recent time, because it has negative 

effects on human beings, plants and animals (Caliman et 

al., 2011; Srinivas et al., 2011). Above all, it is of great 

concern to act swiftly by carrying out this study since it 

may take years for the contaminated aquifer to be flushed 

out because of the rather slow flow (Esu and Amah, 1999). 

 

Materials and Methods 

Study Area 

The study was carried out at Aka-Offot Industrial Layout 

in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. It lies between longitudes 7° 55" 

E - 7° 56" E and latitudes 5° 00" N -5° 01" N (Figures 1). 

The area has a humid tropical climate with an annual 

rainfall ranging from 2500-3000mm and annual mean 

temperature of about 27°C and the relative humidity 

ranging from 75% to 79%.  Ikot Ayan village, Ediene is in 

Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, which 

was considered as a non-industrialized area was chosen as 

the control site. It lies between longitudes 7°45’E - 8°00’E 

and latitudes 5°05’N -5°15’E (Figure 1). The topography 

of the study area is low-lying with coastal plain sand as 

parent material (Petters et al., 1989). 

The surface geology is unconsolidated sand formation 

ranging from coarse to fine sands (Tahal, 1979; Okoji, 

1988). The soil is generally very porous and weakly 

structured with moderate nutrient and high water retention 

capacity, thus, the motivation in carrying out this study 

because of the fact that these boreholes which are sources 

of water supply to inhabitants of this area, are located 

within this Industrial Layout.     

 

Methods of Data Collection 

 

With the aid of global positioning system (GPS) and 

measuring tape for establishment of points, groundwater 

samples were collected from five (5) boreholes selected 

through simple random sampling method within Aka-Offot 

Industrial Layout, Uyo during wet and dry seasons. Water 

samples were equally collected from a borehole at the 

control site. 

The study sites were: (i) The Nigerian Security and 

Exchange Commission premises with Field Code (NSEP), 

which is located 640 metres away from Champion 

Breweries wastewater disposal site and 905 metres away 

from Plasto Crown waste disposal site; (ii) Central Bank of 

Nigeria premises with field code (CBNP) which is located 

460 metres away from Champion Breweries wastewater 

disposal site and 902 metres away from Plasto Crown 

waste disposal site; (iii) private compound with field code 

(PC) which is located 310 metres away from Champion 

Breweries wastewater disposal site and 540 metres away 

from Plasto Crown waste disposal site; (iv) Champion 

Breweries premises with field code (CBP) which is located 

210 metres away from Champion Breweries wastewater 

disposal site and 250 metres away from Plasto Crown 

waste disposal site and (v) Plasto Crown premises with 

field code (PCP) which is located 420 metres away from 

Champion Breweries wastewater disposal site and 110 

metres away from Plasto Crown waste disposal site. New 

plastic bottles labelled with waterproof marker were used 

for collecting the water samples. They were first washed 

with 10 per cent hydrochloric acid (HCl), rinsed with tap 

water and finally rinsed with distilled water. At the sample 

collection point, the plastic bottles were rinsed twice with 

the water to be collected. The boreholes were pumped and 

allowed to run for some time (15-20 minutes) prior to the 

collection of the water. 

The water samples were collected in clean 200 ml 

polyethylene plastic bottles from both the study area and 

the control site. Two samples were collected at each 

location; one for physico-chemical properties 

determinations, while the other one was for heavy metal 

analysis. Samples collected for heavy metal analysis were 

preserved by adding a drop of nitric acid (HNO3) after 

collection so as to preserve the metals. Electrical 

conductivity, hydrogen ion concentration (pH) and 

temperature of the sampled water were determined at the 

field with the aid of the following equipment listed in Table 

1. The samples were stored in an ice-packed cooler kit and 

transported to the laboratory for prompt analyses within 24 

hours, using standard scientific methods (Table 1). 

 

Results and Discussion 

The results of the physico-chemical properties, and heavy 

metal concentrations of the water samples collected from 

the boreholes of the study area as well as the control site 

are presented in Tables 2 & 3, for comparison with the 

control site and the world’s permissible standards (FEPA, 

1988 and WHO, 2006). 

 

Physico-chemical properties 

 

Physical parameters 

 

Temperature 

 

The Temperature of groundwater from the study area 

varied from 25.3 – 26.2°C with a mean temperature of 

26.10°C while the control site had 25.2°C during dry 

season (Table 2) and the wet season varied from 25.5°C – 

26.0°C with a mean of 25.80°C and the control site had 

25.0°C (Table 3). The temperature of water from the study 

area for both dry and wet seasons was higher than the one 

of the control site. The temperature of water from the study 

area was slightly above the 25.0°C permissible limit of 

WHO (2006) and significantly below the 30°C stipulated 

by FEPA (1988). Temperature affects the amount of 

dissolved oxygen in water, metabolic rate of aquatic 

animals and so on. Therefore, the temperature of water 

from the study area was slightly moderate. 

 

 

 

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Turbidity    

 

The turbidity of water from the study area (mean) was 1 

NTU during dry season and 1 NTU (mean) during wet 

season while the control site equally had 1 NTU for both 

dry and wet seasons (Table 2 and 3). There was no 

significant difference between the turbidity values of the 

water from the study area, the control site and the world’s 

permissible limit of 1 NTU (FEPA, 1988). High turbidity 

in groundwater is usually caused by particulate matter in 

suspension which results from land surface erosion. 

Therefore, the average turbidity value in the groundwater 

of the study area was due to the fact that when water seeps 

downwards or percolates through the ground (mostly the 

coastal plain sands of the study area) most of the organic 

matter or suspended particles that are be picked near the 

ground surface have been gradually removed (Esu and 

Amah, 1999). This observation is explained by the “filti-

plant function” of aquifers which states that “the 

unsaturated overlying an aquifers can act as a waste 

treatment system” (Fetter, 1980; Esu and Amah, 1999). 

 

 
Figure 1: Map of Akwa Ibom State showing study area and control site.  

  Source: Agate Geographic Services (2008) 

Table 1: Methods and equipment used for physico–chemical properties, nutrients and heavy metal analyses 

Analytical equipment/ Method of Reference  Parameter  

Cyberscan pH 20 meter  pH 

Cyberscan low 20 conductivity meter  Conductivity, Temperature 

Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) 

Microprocessor Oximeter 196 - Dissolved Oxygen (DO) 

Atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) (Whitehead 1979, method) - Heavy metals 

Spectrophotometrically by 

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(a) Turbidimetry using baricum chloride (APHA, 1993) - Sulphate, So4 

(b) As nitrate after reduction in a reduction calcium  system (Parsons et. al., 1984) - Nitrate (No3)  

(c) Formazine standards  - Turbidity (NTU) 

(d) Nesslerizaiton method  - Ammonium (NH4) 

Difference between initial oxygen concentration in sample and concentration after 

5 days incubation in dissolved oxygen (DO) bottles at 20oC (APHA, 1993) 

- Biochemical oxygen demand 

(BOD5) 

Source: Adapted from Whitehead (1979); Parsons et al. (1984) APHA, (1993).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2: DO, BOD and TDS levels of the water collected from boreholes within Aka-Offot Industrial Layout, Uyo 

versus the one from the control site (CS) and the world’s threshold standards. 

 

Electrical conductivity (EC)   

 

Electrical conductivity of water from the study area varied 

from 11-29 μs/cm with a mean of 21μs/cm while the 

control site had 16μs/cm for dry season and the wet season 

varied from 10-27 μs/cm with a mean of 20μs/cm from the 

study area and 15μs/cm for the control site (Table 3). The 

EC mean value that of the control site, and equally the same 

situation during the wet season. However, the electrical 

conductivity permissible limits for groundwater were not 

supplied by WHO (2006) and FEPA (1988). But from the 

TDS values of water from the study area, the amount of 

dissolved salts in the water did not constitute any danger to 

human health and aquatic life implying that the electrical 

conductivity derived from the water of this area was in 

order (Olasoji et al., 2015). 

 

Chemical parameters pH 

 

The pH of water from the study area varied from 4.91-5.71 

with a mean of 5.35 while the control site had 6.02 for dry 

season (Table 2) and wet season varied from 5.16 – 5.91 

with a mean of 5.54 from the study area and 6.08 for the 

control site. As indicated in the water from the study area, 

there was significant level of acidity as compared to the 

control site for both dry and wet seasons, likewise the 

world’s threshold standard of 6.5-8.5 pH for drinking water 

(FEPA, 1988 and WHO, 2006). This range of pH may 

impair the potable state of groundwater from the study 

area. Low pH and high content of carbon dioxide in water 

suggest that the natural state of water in such areas are 

corrosive to iron and steel and could attack carbonate 

minerals (Esu and Amah, 1999).    

 

Dissolved oxygen (DO)   

The dissolved oxygen of water from the study area varied 

from 3.0 – 3.20 mg/l with a mean of 3.10 mg/l while the 

control site had 4.5 mg/l for dry season and the wet season 

had 3.0 -3.1 mg/l with a mean of 3.0 mg/l for the study area 

and 4.7 mg/l for control site. The result shows that the DO 

values of the water from the study area for both dry and wet 

seasons were lower than that of the control site. Equally 

when compared to 5.0 mg/l recommended by WHO (2006) 

and 7.5 mg/l recommend by FEPA (1988) for drinking 

water, implies that the amount of DO of water from the 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Wet Season Dry Season Wet CS Dry CS WHO 2006 FEPA 1988

co
n

ce
n

tr
at

io
n

 (
m

g/
l)

DO

BOD

TDS

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study area was significantly low; (low oxygenation) which 

could be attributed to the load of impurities and organisms 

in the groundwater occasioned by industrial effluent. This 

is also evident in the result of the biological oxygen 

demand (BOD). 

Biological oxygen demand (BOD)  

 

The biological oxygen demand of water from the study had 

a mean of 0.2 mg/l while the control site had 0.05 mg/l for 

dry season and the wet season varied from 0.1-0.2 mg/l 

with a mean of 0.2 mg/l and the control site had 0.5 mg/l. 

The BOD values from the study area were higher than that 

of the control site for both dry and wet seasons and 

significantly higher than the world’s permissible limit of 0 

mg/l by FEPA (1988) and WHO (2006) for drinking water, 

signifying high level of algae and other organisms in the 

groundwater with attendant decrease of oxygen in this 

water. 

 

Total dissolved solid (TDS)   

     

The total dissolved solid of water from the study area 

varied from 10.60-17.80 mg/l with a mean of 14.60 mg/l 

while the control site had 8.7 mg/l for dry season and the 

wet season varied from 5.8 – 14.7 mg/l with a mean of 9.40 

mg/l from the study area and the control site had 4.8 mg/l. 

The TDS values of the water from the study area were a bit 

higher than that of the control site but significantly lower 

than the FEPA (1988) and the Nigerian Standard for 

Drinking Water Quality (2015) permissible limit of 500 

mg/l. Total dissolved solid is a measure of the amount of 

dissolved salts in water. Salty water conducts electricity 

more readily than pure water. The values of TDS of the 

water from the study area indicate that the amount of 

dissolved salts in the water was not up to the level that 

constitutes danger to human health and aquatic life (Olasoji 

et al., 2019). TDS just like electrical conductivity, serve as 

tool for assessing the purity of water (United States 

Environmental Protection Agency, 2022).  

 

Ammonium (𝐍𝐇𝟒
+)     

 

The ammonium (NH4
+) content of water from the study 

area varied from 0.031 – 0.045 mg/l with a mean of 0.039 

mg/l while the control site had 0.025 mg/l for dry season 

and the wet season varied from 0.031 – 0.041 mg/l with a 

mean of 0.036 mg/l and the control site had 0.023 mg/l 

(Table 3). The mean contents of both dry and wet seasons 

from the study area were a bit higher than the ones from 

the control site but fell below the permissible limits of 0.2 

– 0.3 mg/l by WHO (2006) and 1.0 mg/l by FEPA (1988). 

Ammonium is a source of nitrogen in water. There is need 

to control the way effluent is being disposed in this area to 

avoid water pollution from ammonium because its high 

concentration in water is toxic to aquatic life (Olasoji et al., 

2019). 

 

 

Nitrate (NO3)  

 

The nitrate content of water from the study area varied 

from 1.982 – 2.086 mg/l with a mean of 2.029 mg/l while 

the control site had 1.893 mg/l for dry season and the wet 

season varied from 1.980 – 2.081 mg/l with a mean of 

1.890 mg/l and the control site had 1.890 mg/l. The mean 

content of nitrate in water from the study area during dry 

season was higher than the one from the control site while 

the mean value of nitrate in water from the study area, 

during wet season was the same with one from the control 

site but all of them fell below the 50 mg/l WHO (2006) 

permissible limit and 10.0 mg/l stipulated by FEPA (1988). 

Nitrate is a source of nitrogen in water but its high 

concentration causes excessive growth of algae and 

eutrophication in aquatic ecosystem (Olasoji et al., 2019). 

 

Sulphate (𝐒𝟒
𝟐) 

 

The sulphate content of water from the study area varied 

from 0.853 – 1.458 mg/l with a mean of 1.130 mg/l for dry 

season while the control site had 0.883 mg/l and the wet 

season varied from 0.824 – 1.433 mg/l and the control site 

had 0.798 mg/l (Table 3). The mean contents of sulphate 

from the study area was higher than the ones from the 

control site but fell below the permissible limits of 400 

mg/l by WHO (2006) and 500 mg/l by FEPA (1988). 

Sulphate is a source of sulphur in water, but its high 

concentration can impair photosynthesis and increase 

respiration (Olasoji et al., 2019). 

 

Heavy metal concentration    

 

Iron (Fe)  

 

The iron content of water from the study area varied from 

0.042 – 0.182 mg/l with a mean of 0.104 mg/l while the 

control site had 0.025 mg/l for dry season and the wet 

season varied from 0.020 – 0.173 mg/l with a mean of 

0.034 mg/l from the study area and 0.024 mg/l for the 

control site. The mean values of Fe from the study area for 

both dry and wet seasons were a bit higher than the control 

site but fell below the permissible limit by 0.30 mg/l 

(WHO, 2006) and 1.0 mg/l for (FEPA, 1988) for drinking 

water. 

 

Lead (Pb)      

 

The Pb content of water from the study area varied from 

0.002- 0.008 mg/l with a mean of 0.004 mg/l while the 

control site had 0.002 mg/l for dry season and the wet 

season varied from 0.001 – 0.004 mg/l with a mean of 

0.002 mg/l from the study area and 0.001 mg/l for the 

control site. The mean value of Pb for dry season was a bit 

higher than that of wet season but fell below the 

permissible levels of 0.01 mg/l (WHO, 2006) and 0.05 mg/l 

stipulated by FEPA (1988). 

 

 

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Zinc (Zn)  

 

The Zn content of water from the study area varied from 

0.105- 0.343 mg/l with a mean of 0.207 mg/l while the 

control site had 0.043 mg/l for dry season and the wet 

season varied from 0.057–0.340 mg/l a mean of 0.192 mg/l 

from the study area and 0.039 mg/l for the control site 

(Table 3). The mean contents of zinc from the study area 

were higher than the ones from the control site for both dry 

and wet seasons but fell below the FEPA (1988) 

permissible limit of 1.0 mg/l for drinking water. 

 

Cadmium (Cd)  

 

The cadmium content of water from the study area varied 

from 0.002 – 0.007 mg/l with a mean of 0.004 mg/l while 

the control site had 0.002 mg/l for dry season (Table 2) and 

the wet season varied from 0.001 – 0.003 mg/l with a mean 

of 0.002 mg/l and the control site had 0.001 mg/l (Table 3). 

The mean concentration of Cd in the dry season was higher 

than the one of the wet season. Moreso, the mean values of 

Cd in water from the study area for both dry and wet 

seasons were higher than the control site. It is observed that 

the mean Cd value of 0.004 mg/l of the study area during 

dry season was above the WHO (2006) permissible limit 

of 0.003 mg/l but all of them fell below the FEPA (1988) 

limit of 0.01 mg/l for drinking water. 

 

Chromium (Cr) 

 

The chromium content of water from the study area varied 

from 0.001 – 0.004 mg/l with a mean of 0.002 mg/l while 

the control site had 0.001 mg/l for dry season (Table 2) and 

the wet season varied from 0.001- 0.002 mg/l with a mean 

of 0.002 mg/l and the control site had 0.001 mg/l (Table 3). 

The mean values of Cr in water from the study area were 

above the values of the control site for both dry and wet 

seasons but fell below the WHO (2006) and FEPA (1988) 

permissible limit of 0.05 mg/l for drinking water. 

 

Cobalt (Co) 

 

The cobalt content of water from the study area varied from 

0.011-0.038 mg/l with a mean value of 0.020 mg/l while 

the control site had 0.004 mg/l for dry season (Table 2) and 

the wet season varied from 0.009 – 0.019 mg/l with a mean 

of 0.013 mg/l and the control site had 0.003 mg/l (Table 3). 

The mean values of Co in water from the study area were 

above the values from the control site. Though the Co 

permissible limit in drinking water was not supplied by 

WHO (2006) and FEPA (1988), the value of Co from the 

study area was the same with the United States 

Environmental Protection Agency (2022) limit of 0.02 

mg/l for surface water. 

 

Manganese (Mn)    

  The manganese content of water from the study area 

varied from 0.014 – 0.073 mg/l with a mean of 0.33 mg/l 

while the control site had 0.013 mg/l for dry season (Table 

2) and the wet season varied from 0.009 - 0.061 mg/l with 

a mean of 0.026 mg/l and the control site had 0.009 mg/l 

(Table 3). The mean values of Mn in water from the study 

area were above the values of the control site for both dry 

and wet seasons but fell within the 0.4 mg/l permissible 

limit of WHO (2006) while the value from the study area 

during dry season was above the FEPA (1988) limit of 0.05 

mg/l for drinking water. However, strict measures in 

controlling wastes from this area should be applied. For 

instance, the implication for areas with high concentrations 

of Fe2+ and Mn2+ is that the waters will not only have taste 

but will stain laundry and plumbing fixtures and cooking 

utensils. Incrustation of well screens and plugging of pipes 

are other adverse effects. Apart from the problem of taste, 

manganese also enhances growth in reservoir filters and 

distribution systems (Todd, 1980; Esu and Amah, 1999). 

 

Conclusion/Recommendations 

 

The study submits that the temperature of water from the 

study area was slightly moderate because it was a little 

above WHO permissible limit but below FEPA limit. The 

turbidity of water from the study area fell within the 

permissible limit as well as the electrical conductivity. The 

water from the study area was acidic because the pH was 

lower than the permissible level. The dissolved oxygen in 

the water was significantly low which was attributed to 

high load organisms which equally manifested in the 

higher biological oxygen demand value which was above 

the permissible limit. This was attributed to high level of 

algae and other organisms with attendant decrease of 

oxygen in the water. The total dissolved solid of water from 

the study area was below the permissible limit as well as 

ammonium, nitrate and sulphate. In terms of heavy metals, 

the values of iron, lead and zinc fell below the permissible 

limits. For cadmium, it was observed that its mean value 

during dry season in the study area was a little above the 

WHO permissible limit but all of them fell below the FEPA 

allowable limit. Equally, the chromium and cobalt values 

of water from the study area fell below the permissible 

limits while manganese mean value of water from the study 

during dry season was above the FEPA permissible limit 

but all of them fell within the WHO limit.  

 In summary, some of the parameters of water 

from the study area were above the ones from the control 

site as well as the world’s threshold standards. It is 

concluded that industrial wastes from industries in this 

layout, have had adverse effects on the groundwater of this 

area. Therefore, to safeguard the health and safety 

conditions of the inhabitants of this area and to 

operationalize a functional policy framework for industries 

in this Industrial Layout, the following recommendations 

are prescribed: 

The management of industries operating in this area should 

as matter of urgency, install anti-pollution equipment for 

the treatment of their effluent in line with FEPA Act (Cap 

131 of 1991), which states that “every industry shall install 

anti-pollution equipment for the detoxification of the 

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Table 2: Physio-chemical properties nutrients and heavy metal concentrations in water sampled from existing boreholes around Champion Breweries and Pasto Crown Company 

premises and control site for wet season 

 

Note:     WHO – World Health Organization (2006). FEPA = Federal Environmental Protection Agency (1988);  

  ND = not detected; NL= no limit; NS= not supplied; SD = standard deviation; Cv = Coefficient of variability SE= standard error. 

Source:  Author’s Fieldwork (2021) 

 

 

 

 

 

     Dry season   Tolerable limits 

Parameters Range  Mean  SD CV (%) SE Control site  WHO (2006) FEP (1988) 

A. Physical properties 

Temperature (°C) 

Turbidity (NTU) 

Conductivity(µs/cm) 

 

B. Chemical properties 

pH 

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l) 

BODS (mg/l) 

TDS(mg/l) 

 

25.3 – 26.2 

- 

11 -29 

 

4.91 – 5.71 

3.0 – 3.20 

 

- 

10.60-17.80 

 

26.10 

1 

21 

 

5.35 

3.10 

 

0.2 

14.60 

 

0.2160 

0 

6.0221 

 

0.3395 

0.0752 

 

0.0417 

2.3978 

 

0.8275 

0 

28.6766 

 

6.3457 

2.4258 

 

0.6725 

16.4232 

 

0.0881±26.0666 

0±1 

2.4558±21.3333 

 

0.1386±5.3533 

0.0307±3.0833 

 

0.0224±0.2010 

0.9789±14.6166 

 

25.2 

1 

16 

 

6.02 

4.5 

 

0.05 

8.7 

 

25.0 

NS 

- 

 

6.5 – 8.5 

5.0 

 

0 

NL 

 

30.0 

1.0 

- 

 

6.5-8.5 

7.5 

 

0 

500 

NH+
4 (mg/l) 

NO3- (mg/l) 

SO4
2- (mg/l) 

0.031-0.045 

1.982-2.086 

0.853-1.458 

0.039 

2.029 

1.130 

0.0048 

0.0437 

0.2084 

12.3076 

2.1537 

18.4424 

0.0019±0.0386 

0.0178±2.0286 

0.0836±1.1301 

0.025 

1.893 

0.883 

0.2- 0.3 

50 

NS 

1.0 

10.0 

500 

C. Heavy Metals 

Fe (mg/l) 

Pb (mg/l) 

Zn (mg/l) 

Cd (mg/l) 

Cr (mg/l) 

Co (mg/l) 

Mn (mg/l) 

 

0.042-0.182 

0.002-0.008 

0.105-0.343 

0.002-0.007 

0.001-0.004 

0.011-0.038 

0.014-0.073 

 

0.104 

0.004 

0.207 

0.004 

0.002 

0.020 

0.033 

 

0.0584 

0.0020 

0.0784 

0.0019 

0.0010 

0.0095 

0.0248 

 

56.1538 

50.00 

37.8743 

47.50 

50.00 

47.50 

75.1515 

 

0.0238±0.1043 

0.0008±0.0041 

0.0320±0.2066 

0.0007±0.0038 

0.0004±0.0023 

0.0039±0.0200 

0.0111±0.0326 

 

0.025 

0.002 

0.043 

0.002 

0.001 

0.004 

0.013 

 

0.30 

0.01 

NS 

0.003 

0.05 

NS 

0.4 

 

1.0 

0.05 

1.0 

0.01 

0.05 

NS 

0.05 

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Table 3: Physico-chemical properties, nutrients and heavy metal concentrations in water sampled from existing boreholes around Champion Breweries and Plasto Crown Company 

premises and control site for wet season 

Parameters Range Mean SD CV% SE  Control site WHO (2006) FEPA (1988) 

A. Physical properties          

Temperature (°C) 25.5 –26.0 25.80 0.2097 0.8127 0.0856±25.800  25 25.0 30.0 

Turbidity (NTU)  1 0 0 0±1  1 - 1.0 

Conductivity (µs/cm) 10-27 20 5.8793 29.3965 2.4002±20.1666  15 - - 

B. Chemical properties          

pH 5.16 –5.91 5.54 0.3101 5.5974 0.1266±5.5433  6.08 6.5 – 8.5 6.5 – 8.5 

TDS(mg/l) 5.8 –14.7 9.54 3.2234 34.2914 1.359±9.3666  4.8 NL 500 

Dissolved Oxygen(mg/l) 3.0-3.1 3.0 0.0516 1.7200 0.0210±3.0333  4.7 5.0 7.5 

BODs (mg/l) 0.1 –0.2 0.2 0.0516 0.6339 0.0210±0.1666  0.05 0 0 

NH+
4 (mg/l) 0.031-0.041 0.036 0.0034 9.4444 0.0014±0.0361  0.023 0.2 – 0.3  1.0 

NO3- (mg/l) 1.980–2.081 2.025 0.0431 2.1283 0.0176±2.0246  1.890 50 10.0 

SO4
2- (mg/l) 0.824-1.433 1.097 0.2196 20.0182 0.0896± 1.0968  0.798 400 500 

C. Heavy Metals/ 

Toxic Substances 

         

Fe (mg/l) 0.020-0.173 0.034 0.0683 200.8823 0.0278±0.0840  0.024 0.30 1.0 

Pb (mg/l) 0.001-0.004 0.002  0.0011 55.00 0.0004±0.0021  0.001 0.01 0.05 

Zn (mg/l) 0.057–0.340 0.192 0.0923 48.0729 0.0376±0.1916  0.039 NS 1.0 

Cd (mg/l) 0.001-0.003 0.002 0.0009 45.00 0.0004±0.0018  0.001 0.003 0.01 

Cr (mg/l) 0.001-0.002 0.002 0.0005 25.00 0.0002±0.0016  0.001 0.05 0.05 

Co (mg/l) 0.009-0.019 0.013 0.0034 26.1538 0.0014±0.0133  0.003 NS NS 

Mn (mg/l) 0.009-0.061 0.026 0.0175 67.3076 0.0078±0.0132  0.009 0.4 0.05 

Note:     WHO – World Health Organization (2006). FEPA = Federal Environmental Protection Agency (1988);  

  ND = not detected; NL= no limit; NS= not supplied; SD = standard deviation; Cv = Coefficient of variability SE= standard error. 

 

Source:  Author’s Fieldwork  

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effluent and chemical discharges emanating from their 

industries”. The installation of such equipment shall be 

based on Best Available Technology (BAT), the Best 

Practical Technology (BPT) or the Uniform Effluent 

Standard (UES).  

Further studies should be carried on the groundwater of this 

industrial complex, most especially the microbial studies. 

Appropriate treatment should be given to water from 

boreholes in this area before drinking. For instance, 

consumers of borehole water should always boil such water 

before drinking.    

 

Declarations 

 

Ethics approval and consent to participate 

 

Not applicable 

Consent for publication 

 

Not applicable 

 

Availability of data and material 

 

All data are contained within the manuscript and 

electronic supporting information (ESI)  

 

Competing interests 

 

All authors declare zero financial or inter-personal conflict 

of interest that could have influenced the research work or 

results reported in this research paper.  

Funding 

 

This research was not funded by any Governmental or 

Non-governmental agency. 

       

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