Assessments of the Level of Contamination of Effluent from Aladja River, Delta State, Nigeria

Water quality assessment of the Aladja River, the various discharged point for the Delta Steel Company, Aladja was studied. Effluent samples collected at the various discharge point such as Rolling mills, Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), Steel Melting Shop (SMS), Lime plant were analyzed for pH, conductivity, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Dissolved Oxygen, Oil and Grease, Total Hardness, Chloride, Nitrate, Sulphate and Phosphate. In addition, metals (Nickel, Lead, Iron, Copper, Chromium, Zinc, Manganese and Cadmium) were analyzed. Results from analysis reveals the level of pH from Lime plant to be 9.600.15, TSS of SMS to be 111.00 0.10mg/l. Data-s obtained for EAF were higher than the maximum permissible limits set by Federal Environmental Protection Agencies (FEPA Nigeria). This is traced to the fact that the operations are closed circuit system. The elevated levels of some of the pollutant would invariably affect the taste, color and other physical and chemical properties of the river water and thus pose a potential health hazard of varying degrees to various life forms that depend on the water for survival and recreational purposes. A routine treatment of the effluent before discharge is therefore highly recommended to maintain good water quality. Therefore, wastewater from the Delta Steel Company Aladja, is recycled before they were discharged into the river and thus, conform to the recommended FEPA guidelines