Abstract

The study area is located in the Port Harcourt Metropolis. It is bounded by latitudes 4o 44? 30? and 4o 44? 50?N and longitudes 7o 03? 0? to 7o 03? 40?E covering an area of about 342 Km2. It lies on the average altitude of 15m above sea level, and is structurally in low land, typically made up of flat mangroves swamp and devoid of rock outcrops with poor drainage pattern. Five (5) samples of groundwater collected from the study area from both deep (about 60m) and shallow hand-dug wells, following the standard procedure as prescribed by APHA Guidelines. The analysis was achieved using Direct reading Photometer (Hanna model), Titrimetric method, and Flame photometer (FPF9 Jenwy model).The interpretation of groundwater chemistry of the samples suggest that most of the samples analyzed are within the WHO and Nigerian Standards for drinking, while some have concentrations beyond desirable limits. However, the concentrations of some compounds such as nitrate, slightly above permissible limits in the samples analyzed have created a concern over the suitability of the water for drinking and other domestic uses. The assessment of water for irrigation indicates that most of the samples are suitable for irrigational purposes. The result of the laboratory analysis revealed that the selected ions were present in varying concentrations in the study area. The chemical parameters of water samples from the hand-dug wells were plotted using histogram and revealed interaction between the groundwater and aquifer materials, and identified important data trends and groupings.