HEAVY METALS AND NUTRIENT STATUS OF SURFACE WATER QUALITY AROUND SAGBAMA CREEK, BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA

This study was carried out to assess the heavy metal and nutrient quality of the surface water of the Sagbama Creek, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Samples of water were collected and preserved using trioxonitrate (v) and in cooler of ice and transfered to the laboratory. Five stations were employed correspondingly with control stations and results were compared with both control and standard permissible limits for the following parameters for both River water samples and the control samples respectively; Nutrients such as sulphate (69.2±96.27 and 5.04±53), nitrate (3.20±2.85 and 2.60±1.52),phosphate (0.48±0.19 and 0.43±0.44), ammonium (1.78±2.40 and 0.46±0.42); Heavy metals as Mn (0.44±0.42 and 0.07±0.0588), Cu (0.045±0.0014 and <0.001), Cd (<0.001 and <0.001), Pb (0.045±0.0107 and <0.001), Zn (0.098±0.111 and 0.048±0.0323), Hg (<0.001 and <0.001), Fe (5.96±5.0126 and 3.84±2.79); and Water bacteriology of THF (1.86±0.40 and 2.0±0.8 ), THB (3.52±0.65 and 3.66±1 ) and TCB (204±176 and 145±67). All values were either below or within the permissible limits for surface water, DPR or FMENV except ammonium ion, but the mere presence of water microbes indicated water pollution. Therefore the urgent need to reduce the direct defecation in water bodies around the study environment becomes a necessity.