Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Investigating the hydrogeochemical processes and quality of water resources in Ojoto and environs using integrated classical methods

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Modeling Earth Systems and Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In an attempt to determine their suitability for consumption and irrigation uses, the prevailing hydrogeochemical processes and quality of both surface and groundwaters in Ojoto province, southeastern Nigeria were studied. Classical scientific methods and indicators such as hydrogeochemistry, stoichiometry, water quality index (WQI), and multivariate statistical analyses were integrated to achieve the research objectives. pH results classified most of the waters as slightly acidic. The order of dominance of the major cations and anions is Na+ > Ca2+ > K+ > Mg2+ and SO42– > Cl– > NO3– > HCO3–, respectively. The dominant water type is Na–Ca–SO4, and the dominant water facies in the area is sodium sulphate (Na–SO4), constituting about 54% of the total samples. Several hydrogeochemical, stoichiometric, and multivariate statistical analyses revealed that both anthropogenic inputs and geogenic processes (such as precipitation, silicate weathering, oxidation, and ionic exchange) influence the chemistry and quality of the waters. WQI of the waters showed that only 17.86% of the analyzed samples are of good quality for drinking purposes, whereas the quality of 53.57, 17.86, and 10.71% of the samples is poor, very poor, and unfit for use, respectively. Various irrigation suitability assessments (including salinity hazard, sodium absorption ratio, sodium percentage, residual sodium carbonate, chloro-alkaline indices, magnesium hazard, Kelly’s ratio, permeability index, and potential salinity) conducted revealed that majority of the analyzed waters have poor irrigation quality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahamed AJ, Loganathan K, Jayakumar R (2015) Hydrochemical characteristics and quality assessment of groundwater in Amaravathi river basin of Karur district, Tamil Nadu, South India. Sustain Water Resour Manag 1:273–291

    Google Scholar 

  • Akpoborie IA, Nfor BN, Etobro AAI, Odagwe S (2011) Aspects of the geology and groundwater conditions of Asaba, Nigeria. Arch Appl Sci Res 3(2):537–550

    Google Scholar 

  • Annapoorna H, Janardhana MR (2015) Assessment of groundwater quality for drinking purpose in rural areas surrounding a defunct copper mine. Aquat Procedia 4:685–692

    Google Scholar 

  • APHA (2005) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 21st edn. American Public Health Association, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Arua I (1986) Paleoenvironment of Eocene deposits in the Afikpo syncline, southern Nigeria. J Afr Earth Sci 5:279–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Arveti N, Sarma MRS, Aitkenhead-Peterson JA, Sunil K (2011) Flouride incidence in groundwater: a case study from Talupula, Andhra Pradesh, India. Environ Monit Assess 172:427–443

    Google Scholar 

  • Avci H, Dokuz UE, Avci AS (2018) Hydrochemistry and groundwater quality in a semiarid calcareous area: an evaluation of major ion chemistry using a stoichiometric approach. Environ Monit Assess 190:641. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-7021-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BIS (1991) Indian standard drinking water-specification, 1st rev. Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen T, Zhang H, Sun C, Li H, Gao Y (2018) Multivariate statistical approaches to identify the major factors governing groundwater quality. Appl Water Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-018-0837-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis SN, De Wiest RJM (1966) Hydrogeology. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Doe NA, Windecker N (2005) Groundwater notes. SHALE 11:37–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Doneen LD (1964) Notes on water quality in Agriculture. Published as a water science and engineering paper 4001. Department of Water Science and Engineering, University of California, Oakland

    Google Scholar 

  • Egboka BCE (1993) The raging war. A Publication of Anambra State Government of Nigeria, Awka

    Google Scholar 

  • Egbueri JC (2018) Assessment of the quality of groundwaters proximal to dumpsites in Awka and Nnewi metropolises: a comparative approach. Int J Energy Water Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42108-018-0004-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Egbueri JC (2019) Water quality appraisal of selected farm provinces using integrated hydrogeochemical, multivariate statistical, and microbiological technique. Model Earth Syst Environ. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-019-00585-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El Alfy M, Lashin A, Abdalla F, Al-Bassam A (2017) Assessing the hydrogeochemical processes affecting groundwater pollution in arid areas using an integration of geochemical equilibrium and multivariate statistical techniques. Environ Pollut 5:6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.05.052

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ezenwaji EE, Ezenweani ID (2018) Spatial analysis of groundwater quality in Warri Urban. Sustain Water Resour Manag, Nigeria. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-018-0264-2

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Freeze RA, Cherry JA (1979) Groundwater. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs RJ (1970) Mechanisms controlling world water chemistry. Science 170:1088–1090

    Google Scholar 

  • Gleick PH (1996) Water resources. In: Schneider SH (ed) Encyclopedia of climate and weather, vol 2. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 817–823

    Google Scholar 

  • Isa NM, Aris AZ, Azmin WN, Sulaiman W (2012) Extent and severity of groundwater contamination based on hydrochemistry mechanism of sandy tropical coastal aquifer. Sci Total Environ 438:414–425

    Google Scholar 

  • Iscen CF, Özgür E, Ilhan S et al (2008) Application of multivariate statistical techniques in the assessment of surface water quality in Uluabat Lake, Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 144(1–3):269–276

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly WP (1940) Permissible composition and concentration of irrigation water. Proc Am Soc Civ Eng 66:607–613

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan N, Hussain ST, Saboor A (2013) Physiochemical investigation of the drinking water sources from Mardan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Int J Phys Sci 8(33):1661–1671

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim K, Rajmohan N, Kim HJ, Kim SH, Hwang GS, Yun ST, Gu B, Cho MJ, Lee SH (2005) Evaluation of geochemical processes affecting groundwater chemistry based on mass balance approach: a case study in Namwon, Korea. Geochem J 39:357–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Kogbe CA (1976) Paleographic history of Nigeria from Albian Times. In: Kogbe CA (ed) Geology of Nigeria. Elizabethan Publishers, Lagos

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar R, Singh S, Sharma RC (2018) Application of WQI for assessment of water quality of high altitude lake Dodi Tal, Garhwal Himalaya, India. Sustain Water Resources Management. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-018-0281-1

    Google Scholar 

  • Langenegger O (1990) Groundwater quality in rural areas of western Africa. UNDP project INT/81/026:10

  • Li P, Wu J, Qian H (2013) Assessment of groundwater quality for irrigation purposes and identification of hydrogeochemical evolution mechanisms in Pengyang County, China. Environ Earth Sci 69:2211–2225

    Google Scholar 

  • McGowan W (2000) Water processing: residential, commercial, light-industrial, 3rd edn. Water Quality Association, Lisle

    Google Scholar 

  • Meybeck M (1987) Global chemical weathering of surficial rocks estimated from river dissolved leads. Am J Sci 287:401–428

    Google Scholar 

  • Mgbenu CN, Egbueri JC (2019) The hydrogeochemical signatures, quality indices and health risk assessment of water resources in Umunya district, southeast Nigeria. Appl Water Sci 9:22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-019-0900-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nagajyoti PC, Lee KD, Sreekanth TV (2010) Heavy metals, occurrence and toxicity for plants: a review. Environ Chem Lett 8:199–216

    Google Scholar 

  • NIS (2007) Nigerian standard for drinking water quality. Niger Ind Stand 554:13–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Noh H, Huh Y, Qin J, Ellis A (2009) Chemical weathering in the three rivers region of Eastern Tibet. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 73:1857–1877

    Google Scholar 

  • Nriagu JO (1989) A global assessment of natural sources of atmospheric trace metals. Nature 338:47–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Nwachukwu SO (1972) The tectonic evolution of the southern portion of the Benue Trough, Nigeria. Geol Mag 109:411–419

    Google Scholar 

  • Nwajide CS (2013) Geology of Nigeria’s sedimentary basins. CSS Press, Lagos

    Google Scholar 

  • Okoro EI, Egboka BCE, Onwuemesi AG (2010a) Evaluation of the aquifer characteristics of the Nanka Sand using hydrogeological method in combination with vertical electric sounding (VES). J Appl Sci Environ Manag 14(2):5–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Okoro EI, Egboka BCE, Anike OL, Enekwechi EK (2010b) Evaluation of groundwater potentials in parts of the Escarpment area of southeastern Nigeria. Int J Geomat Geosci 1(3):544–551

    Google Scholar 

  • Paliwal KV (1972) Irrigation with saline water. Monogram no. 2 (new series). IARI, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Pawari MJ, Gawande S (2015) Groundwater pollution and its consequence. Int J Eng Res Gen Sci 3(4):773–776

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravikumar P, Aneesul MM, Somashekar RK (2013) Water quality index to determine the surface water quality of Sankey Tank and Mallathahalli Lake, Bangalore Urban District, Karnataka, India. Appl Water Sci 3:247–261

    Google Scholar 

  • Reddy AGS, Kumar KN (2010) Identification of the hydrogeochemical processes in groundwater using major ion chemistry: a case study of Penna-Chitravathi river basins in Southern India. Environ Monit Assess 170:365–382

    Google Scholar 

  • Reyment RA (1965) Aspects of the geology of Nigeria: the stratigraphy of the cretaceous and cenozoic deposits. Ibadan University Press, Ibadan

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards LA (1954) Diagnosis and improvement of saline alkali soils: agriculture. Handbook 60, US Department of Agriculutre, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer GN, McCarthy DL (1967) Chemistry of sanitary engineers, 2nd edn. McGraw Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Schock MR (1989) Understanding lead corrosion control strategies. J Am Water Works Assoc 81:88

    Google Scholar 

  • Schock MR (1990) Causes of temporal variability of lead in domestic plumbing systems. Environ Monit Assess 15:59

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoeller H (1977) Geochemistry of groundwater. In: Groundwater studies—an international guide for research and practice, Supplement No. 3 to Groundwater Studies. UNESCO Tech. Papers Hydrol., vol 7. UNESCO, Paris

  • Subramani T, Elongo L, Damodarasamy SR (2005) Groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agricultural use in Chithar River Basin, Tamil Nadu, India. Environ Geol 47:1099–1110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-005-1243-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sylus KJ, Ramesh H (2018) Geo-statistical analysis of groundwater quality in an unconfined aquifer of Nethravathi and Gurpur river confluence. Model Earth Syst Environ, India. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-018-0488-z

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari TN, Mishra M (1985) A preliminary assignment of WQI to major Indian rivers. Indian J Environ Prot 5(4):276–279

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2011) Hardness in Drinking-water: background document for development of WHO guidelines for drinking-water quality. World Health Organization, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2017) Guidelines for drinking water quality, 3rd edn. World Health Organization, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox LV (1955) Classification and use of irrigation water. USDA Circular 969, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaidi FK, Nazzal Y, Jafri MK, Naeem M, Ahmed I (2015) Reverse ion exchange as a major process controlling the groundwater chemistry in an arid environment: a case study from northwestern Saudi Arabia. Environ Monit Assess 187:607. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4828-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu B, Wang Y (2016) Statistical study to identify the key factors governing ground water recharge in the watersheds of the arid Central Asia. Environ Monit Assess 188:66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-5075-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

    Johnbosco C. Egbueri & Chidinma N. Chukwu

  2. Department of Physics/Geology/Geophysics, Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ikwo, Nigeria

    Chukwuma N. Mgbenu

Authors
  1. Johnbosco C. Egbueri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chukwuma N. Mgbenu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chidinma N. Chukwu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Johnbosco C. Egbueri.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Egbueri, J.C., Mgbenu, C.N. & Chukwu, C.N. Investigating the hydrogeochemical processes and quality of water resources in Ojoto and environs using integrated classical methods. Model. Earth Syst. Environ. 5, 1443–1461 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-019-00613-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-019-00613-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation