Vol. 7 No. 01 (2026)
Articles

Physicochemical Examination of Water Quality from Ero Dam, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Agunbiade Rasaq Olusola Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
Adebawore Adefusisoye Adegalu Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin-Ekiti, Nigeria.

Published 2026-03-29

Keywords

  • Ero Dam,
  • Physicochemical Analysis,
  • Heavy Metals,
  • Seasonal Variation,
  • Hierarchical Cluster Analysis

How to Cite

Physicochemical Examination of Water Quality from Ero Dam, Ekiti State, Nigeria. (2026). Journal of Life and Bio-Sciences Research, 7(01), 01-10. https://doi.org/10.38094/jlbsr701174

Abstract

Physicochemical examination of water quality from Ero Dam, Ekiti State, is an important study to assess the water’s portability, safety, its use for irrigation, and environmental sustainability. The water quality parameters were analyzed during January, March, and June 2025, and these are the early and late dry seasons and the beginning of the rainy seasons, respectively. The study aimed to determine the seasonality, identify possible anthropogenic effects, and parameter interactions based on hierarchical cluster analysis. Water samples were collected by using standard procedures and analyzed for temperature, pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total hardness, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, sulphate, and heavy metals i.e. lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr). Results indicated that temperature was quite constant, with a pH range of 5.4 to 6.9 (weakly acidic to almost neutral), and there was also an increase in EC and TDS through June, indicating seasonality or enrichment with dissolved ions.  DO was between 5.6 and 6.8 mg/L. maximum BOD (6.1 mg/L) and COD (16.2 mg/L) values recorded in June, owing to an increase in loading of organic matter due to the runoff. The levels of nitrate and sulphate were low across the board. Heavy metals analysis showed that Pb (0.1280.138 mg/L) and Cd (0.0100.014 mg/L) values were always exceeding the WHO standards; therefore, these metals can be considered as the indicators of anthropogenic pollution, while the values for Cu, Zn, and Cr were varied between permissible standards. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed a strong correlation.

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