Chemical and biological characteristics of streams in the Owabi watershed
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Date
2010-02-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Abstract
In this investigation, concentrations of
physico-chemical and bacteriological qualities of
water samples from the major streams within the
Owabi watershed in Kumasi, Ghana, were measured
at five different locations. The streams were
moderately soft and neutral, having a mean pH
range of 7.08 ± 0.2 to 7.88 ± 0.6. Total dissolved
solids, total suspended solids, grease and oil, alkalinity,
and the major ion levels varied significantly
at each sampling site. Nutrient levels were
however low and did not show any clear variation
at sample locations. The bacteriological quality
of the water was poor, rendering it unsafe for
domestic purposes without treatment. The poor
bacteriological quality was due to direct contamination
by animal and human wastes. The streams
have an appreciable self-purification capacity
which is stressed by persistent pollution overloads
caused by expanding human activities within the
Description
An article published by Springer Netherlands and also available at DOI 10.1007/s10661-009-0757-4
Keywords
Bacteriological, Physico-chemical, Pollution, Self-purification, Surface water
Citation
Environ Monit Assess (2010) 161:413–422 DOI 10.1007/s10661-009-0757-4