Assessment of Physicochemical Quality, Heavy Metals, and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Concentration in Surface Water from Communities of the Jones Creek Oil Field, Niger Delta Nigeria

This study was carried out to assess the physicochemical parameters, concentrations of heavy metals and Total Petroleum hydrocarbons in surface water from Kokodiagbene and Akpata Egbebe in the Jones Creek oil field communities of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Physicochemical properties were determined using standard methods. The metal concentrations were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS), while Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH), was extracted from the water samples using standard solvent extraction method, and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS) was used to quantify the TPH present in the water samples. The results reviewed that pH, turbidity, concentrations of potassium, calcium, BOD5, nitrates, sulphates and phosphates in all water samples were below and within the WHO and Federal Environmental Protection Agency, Nigeria (FEPA) limits, while, the mean concentrations of electrical conductivity, total hardness, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand and chlorides (12900.00±200.51–22700.00±12.78 µs/cm, 952.00±10.62-2452.00±25.84 mg/L, 6350.00±50.34-11350.00±45.66 mg/L, 12.350.05-17.85±0.05 mg/L, 240.00±12.62-780.00±20.00 mg/L and 187.36±8.50-605.93±9.97 mg/L respectively) in all samples which were above the WHO and FEPA limits for surface water. Lead (Pb) in all water samples exceeded WHO permissible limits. Cadmium, chromium, and Arsenic in some of the water samples exceeded WHO permissible limits, while Zinc, Copper, Vanadium, Nickel, Manganese and Mercury concentrations were below the detection limits in all the water samples analyzed. Mean TPH value of 25.75±2.85 mg/L recorded in Kokodiagbene was above permissible limits, while others were within permissible limits. The study’s conclusions highlight the important consequences of oil exploration activities, which might gravely contaminate the creek if appropriate oversight bodies are not set up to keep an eye on them. Therefore, the research recommends that multinational corporations and other enterprises involved in the exploration and extraction of oil resources employ globally recognized remediation technologies immediately in order to clean up the contaminated water supplies.