Groundwater Monitoring at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike for the Determination of Water Quality

Groundwater monitoring of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike in Abia State, Southeastern Nigeria is presented in this paper with the aim of determining the physical and chemical characteristics of borehole water in the place, and comparing its quality with that of the World Health Organization (WHO). The local geology of the study area, Benin Formation, is of Cretaceous to Recent age. The area is located between latitude 5o28' and 5o30' N, and longitude 7o31' and 7o33' E. Eight boreholes were sampled and analyzed using the standard laboratory techniques. The pH value, conductivity, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), acidity and alkalinity of the boreholes were obtained. Turbidity ranged from 86.80 to 92.60 NTU. The results showed that the groundwater in the area was acidic with an average pH value of 5.53, which falls below the World Health Organization (WHO) standard for drinking water (of range 6.50-8.50). The borehole water also has low to moderate conductivities (100.00 to 600.00 mg/L). There is need for periodic treatment and monitoring of groundwater in the area.