Effect of Oil Spillage on Groundwater Quality

Investigation of the effect of oil spillage on groundwater quality was conducted using the spill-affected areas of Gokhana Local Government as the study area and the unaffected areas of Khana Local Government as the control. Groundwater samples were obtained from hand-dug wells in the study and control areas and analysed. Water parameters such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total hydrocarbon content (THC) were determined and compared for the two areas on the one hand and with available standards on the other hand. The results obtained revealed a significant increase in temperature with a mean of 28.13±0.35 °C, decrease in pH with a mean of 4±0.22, decrease in DO with a mean of 2.2±0.36 mg/l, increase in BOD with a mean of 12.5±2.27 mg/l and increase in THC with a mean of 1.4±0.34 mg/l in the study area compared with the control area and the standards. It was concluded that the groundwater in the study area is polluted and should be treated before use.