ANALYSIS OF GROUND AND SURFACE WATER OF IGBOTAKO AND ODE-AYE COMMUNITIES IN OKITIPUPA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

After air, water has been known to be the most precious natural resource available to man. It ishowever limited as only a part of it is good for use. The inhabitants of Igbotako and Ode – Ayecommunities in Okitipupa Local government Area of Ondo State rely solely on water harvestedfrom the rain, few wells and the four streams that criss-cross the communities. This studytherefore is aimed at analysing the quality of these water bodies and to form a baseline forfuture references. Water samples from the four streams and four wells were taken and analysedusing standard protocols. The results were compared to the Federal Ministry of EnvironmentStandards for drinking water as highlighted in the National Guidelines and Standards forWater Quality in Nigeria, 1999. Results show that the ground water in Igbotako is acidic (pH;4.44 – 5.12) with high turbidity levels especially in Ode-Aye ranging from 0.79 – 6.9 NTU. Thesurface water contains coliform and heterotrophic bacteria. Ammonium and manganese ionlevels are higher (0.71 – 2.1 mg/L and 0.29 – 0.77 mg/L, respectively) than the limits set by theFederal Ministry of Environment. The study recommends the necessary treatments for thedifferent water bodies before use.