Determination of groundwater flow direction in Utagba-Ogbe Kingdom, Nokwa Land Area of Delta State, Nigeria.

Abstract

A study was carried out in Utagba-Ogbe Kingdom, Ndokwa west Local Government Area of Delta State using the global positioning system (GPS) and meter tape to determine the groundwater flow pattern of the area. The longitudes, latitudes and elevations of six locations evenly distributed within the kingdom were measured and recorded. The depths to the water level in the hand-dug wells were measured directly with the aid of a meter tape. The water elevation contour map of Utagba-Ogbe Kingdom revealed that groundwater flow direction is toward the Eastern part of the kingdom. It is therefore recommended that dumpsites should be sited within the Eastern part of the kingdom while boreholes for potable groundwater exploitation could be sited in the north, south and western regions of the kingdom to minimize groundwater contamination. In the event of pollution groundwater within the Eastern regions of Utagba-Ogbe Kingdom are densely contaminated. Therefore, communities within the North, West and Southern regions of Utagba- Ogbe Kingdom should take steps to ensure that land use activities will not pose a threat on the quality of groundwater. The present study act as a guide for future groundwater exploration, hence the information will be useful to both the Government and Individuals especially those in water industries in sinking and maintaining boreholes for optimum groundwater exploitation.