Impact Of Vegetable Oil Effluent On The Water Quality Of Receiving Ossah River, Umuahia, Abia State

ABSTRACT

The physico-chemical parameters of Ossah river, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria were studied between January 2018 and June 2018 in 3 stations in relation to the anthropogenic impacts and suitability to support aquatic biodiversity. A total of A total ofsixteen (16) parameters were evaluated using standard methods (APHA) and compared with National standards (NESREA). The range ofrecorded values were as follows: air temperature (19.0 - 31.0°C), water temperature (22.0 - 28.0°C), pH (5.14 - 10.32), transparency (19.4 - 56.3cm), total dissolved solids (12.4 30.5mg/l), conductivity (18.5 45.5|xS/cm), dissolved oxygen (3.9 7.7mg/l), biochemical oxygen demand (1.8 4.6 mg/1), chemical oxygen demand (18.6 -94.0 mg/1), nitrate (2.3 - 3.5 mg/1), phosphate (0.75 2.44 mg/1), sulphate (0.3 1.27 mg/1), chloride (5.3 8.4 mg/1), calcium (8.0 25.3 mg/1), magnesium (4.86 43.8 mg/1) and potassium (0.16 - 8.0 mg/1). The physicochemical parameters recorded in Ossah River were all within acceptable limits to support aquatic biodiversity and aquaculture development despite observed anthropogenic impacts in stations 1 and 2; though pH and dissolved oxygen did not meet in some stations. It can therefore be concluded that the river is suitable to support aquatic biodiversity.