Spatial trend in the physico-chemical characteristics of Ikpa River, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Etteokon SE; Akpan AW; Ayotunde EO

Spatial trend in the physico-chemical characteristics of Ikpa River, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

authors
Etteokon SE, Akpan AW, Ayotunde EO

abstract
Triplicate water and sediments samples were collected once a month for a period of nine months (June, 2014 to February 2015) in the four sampling Stations; Edem Iyire (I), Ntak Inyang (II), Iba Oku (III) and Nwaniba (IV). Temperature, Hydrogen ion concentration (pH), transparency, conductivity, dissolve oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), salinity, alkalinity, nitrate, sulphate and phosphate in both water and in sediment were all determined following standard methods. The mean ranges in the physico-chemical parameters in water across the stations were as follows: temperature, 24.85 - 26.15 ^oC; pH, 5.588 - 6.919mg/kg; transparency, 1.447 - 2.734m; conductivity, 11.32 - 29.72us/cm; DO, 6.654 - 8.042m/l; COD, 2.493 - 5.146mg/l; BOD, 1.94 - 2.617mg/l; salinity, 0.001 - 0.009; alkalinity, 11.94 - 18.695mg/l; nitrate,0.645 - 0.810mg/l; sulphate, 0.558 - 0.698 mg/l; phosphate, 0.003 - 0.066mg/l. The ranges of the result in the sediment are as follows: temperature, 26.62 - 27.95^oC; pH, 5.833 - 5.862mg/; Conductivity, 33.85 - 54.61Us/cm; Alkalinity, 23.68 - 40.47mg/kg; Nitrate, 2.700 - 3.717 mg/kg; Sulphate, 2.129 - 2.698mg/kg; Phosphate, 1.451 - 1.724mg/kg. All the physico-chemical parameters examined in water and sediment in the four Stations in Ikpa River fell within the permissible limits provided by the Federal Enviromental protection Agency (FEPA) while conductivity and alkalinity showed significant difference (P<0.05) across the four Stations.

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