ABSTRACT
A study of the water quality of physical and chemical parameters of the surface water of Osse River, Edo State, Nigeria was investigated over a period of four months; November 2020 to February 2021 at three stations. A total of (14) physical and chemical parameters were determined in the laboratory. Ambient temperature, Water temperature, Depth and Flow rate were determined in-situ while Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Turbidity, pH, Conductivity, Hardness, Alkalinity, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Nitrate were determined using laboratory standard. Air temperature ranged from 24.750 to 26.750 oC, Water temperature 28.250 to 28.500 oC, Flow rate 12.113 to 21.550 cm/s, Depth 0.855 to 2.025 m, Transparency 0.780 to 1.045 mg/l, Total Dissolved Solid 58.800 to 69.050 mg/l, Turbidity 2.127 to 4.037 NTU, pH 6.468 to 6.610, Electrical Conductivity (EC)114.250 to 134.750 us/cm, DO 4.730 to 5.450 mg/l, BOD5 2.750 to 3.200 mg/l, Sodium 5.881 to 5.959 mg/l, Magnesium 4.307 to 5.359 mg/l and Nitrate 1.726 to 3.588 mg/l. Spatial comparison of physicochemical parameters using the One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no significant difference except for depth. The values for Water Quality Index were 300.933 in station 1, 277.335 in station 2, and 296.202 in station 3. Overall, the water quality of Osse River is unfit for drinking. Anthropogenic activities which include farming, fishing, domestic and commercial activities, industrial effluents and wastes disposal impacted the water quality of Osse River.
