Assessment of Soak Away Distance and Infiltration Layer on Bore-Hole Water Quality in Densely Residential Areas of Owerri Municipal, IMO State

Ground water pollution can arise from percolation and infiltration of contaminants through the soil from soak away pits. This study was aimed at assessing the microbiological quality of borewhole water, its suitability for human consumption, as well as its closeness to soak away pits in densely populated settlements of Owerri Municipal Council of ImoState, Nigeria. The horizontal distance between the soak away pits and bore-holes including soil in filtration layer was determined for all sampling points. Twenty-four samples of bore-hole water were collected and analyzed in the laboratory for microbiological and some selected physico-chemical constituents. Temperature of water samples at the time of collection ranged from 230 c to310 c, with sample from Dauglas area having the highest value (310 c); that of Aladinma had the lowest temperature (230 c). Water collected from the 12 sampling sites were contaminated with general and/or fecal Coliforms and E. coli at different levels; with exception of five sample sites that had zero E. coli. Furthermore, it was generally observed that water samples which were in close proximity to the soak away pits had relatively higher microbial load. Apart from distance, infiltration layer also affects bore-hole contamination. Therefore, bore-holes and soak away pits should be constructed faraway from one another; at least 15 meters apart and each of them should be lined if possible in order to avoid any fecal contamination from the soak away pits into the bore-holes.