Water quality assessment of groundwater in some rock types in parts of the eastern region of Ghana

Abstract

A baseline study involving analyses of subsurface water samples from the Cape Coast granitoid complex, Lower Birimian, Togo Formation and the Voltaian Group, was carried out to assess their suitability for drinking, domestic and agricultural purposes. Study results show that pH within the range (3.0 ≤ pH ≤ 6.5) constitutes 74% of the boreholes analysed, and 51% have hardness values ranging from 7.89 to 73.24 mg/l as CaCO3 and are described as soft. Total dissolved solids are less than 1,000 mg/l and generally characterized by low conductivity values, of which 95% are within the range (55 ≤ EC ≤ 1,500 μS/cm). The mean values of the major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+) and anions (SO42-, Cl-, HCO3-) are all within the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. Five (5) of the boreholes sampled have nitrate (NO3-) contamination. Even though NO3- contamination and acidic waters exist in some of the boreholes, the majority of the boreholes are excellent for drinking and domestic purposes. Assessment of the groundwaters for agricultural irrigation revealed three main categories. These are low salinity-low sodicity (C1-S1), medium salinity-low sodicity (C2-S1) and high salinity-low sodicity (C3-S1), using the US Salinity Laboratory (USSL) classification scheme. As much as 95% of the samples plotted in the 'excellent to good' and 'good to permissible' categories on the Wilcox diagram. The groundwater in the study area may therefore be regarded as good for irrigation activities. The major identifiable geochemical processes responsible for the evolution of the various ions are mineral weathering and chemical reactions. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.