Hydrogeochemical Properties of Groundwater in Parts of Abakaliki City, Southeastern Nigeria.

This study is aimed at providing useful information about the hydrochemistry of some parts of Abakaliki city for proper understanding of the groundwater quality. Twelve representative groundwater samples from water boreholes/wells in the study area were analyzed for their hydrogeochemical properties: pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Turbidity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Hardness (TH), COD, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, HCO3-, SO4(2-), Cl-, NO3-, and CO3(2-). Aquifers in the study environment were located in the fractured shales of Abakaliki Formation. The composition of the major ions outlined the relationships between the aquifer chemistry. Strong positive correlations exist between EC-TDS, Na(+)-TDS, Mg(2+)-SO4(2+) and Ca(2+)-SO4(2+). Piper trilinear diagram has also been utilized in data interpretation and to classify the hydrogeochemical facies. Majority of the analyzed samples were characterized by the dominance of Ca2+, Mg2+, SO4(2-) and Cl- and the Piper trilinear diagram indicated two water types: Ca (Mg)-Cl and Ca-Mg-Na-Cl-SO4 water types. Na/Cl ratio ranging from 0.12 to 0.73 (all below 1.0) with a mean of 0.55 inferred fresh water existence. Results of this study generally showed that the analyzed groundwater samples pose no threat to human consumption, health and environment since the concentrations of the physico-chemical parameters were within the WHO standards.