AN EVALUATION OF WATER QUALITY INDEX VARIATION IN DOMESTIC DRINKING WATER RESERVOIRS

Abstract

This study investigates the variation in water quality parameters due to short term storage in reservoirs in north-east Nigeria. The objective of the study is to determine the water quality, testing selected vital parameters and determining the DWQI of the samples from selected water sources and their respective reservoirs. The World Health Organization (WHO), as well as the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) standards of water quality test and drinking water quality indices, were adopted. Samples were collected at both source and reservoir from five different points in the same area. The quality of water was analyzed in order to determine the variation in water quality and drinking water quality indices when stored over time in a storage system. The result of the quality test revealed that the level of all the parameters were within the limit set by WHO except that of Iron and Manganese which were slightly above the standard limits. The correlated variables revealed that a very strong relationship exists between all the samples with the highest R2 as 0.99 and the lowest R2 as 0.94. The drinking water quality indices were found to be good for all samples with an index value of 88.45%. This study strongly recommends further investigation as well as regular monitoring of the drinking water quality in the area.