Examination of Several physiochemical characteristics of underground water collected from various wells situated south Baghdad-IRAQ

Abstract

Underground water is subjected to contamination due to the wastewater of different agricultural and industrial activities .This work was designed to examine several physiochemical variables of well water situated in southern land of Baghdad that already used in such activities. Water samples were collected from different wells in January and July 2014.

It has found that mean pH value were varying from 7.1 ± 0.4 to 7.5 ± 0.7 and these values for EC were  1.24±0.09 to 2.5±0.19 while mean values of turbidity were ranged from 0.01±0.0 to 7.01±1.54 . Mean values of each of BOD, COD and DO have been found to range from 7.0±2.44 to 13.24, 13.3±3.33 to 68.0±11.7 and 3.1±2.6 to 7.5±3.22 respectively. However, water samples had mean value of PO₄ within a range of 0.30±0.01 to 0.66±0.12 and the mean of SO₄ was placed between 93±24.69 to 371±35.27. For each of Cl, Ca and Mg ions had given mean values in a range of 0.01±0.0 to 1.9±0.36, 70.0±21.51 to 98.0±28.72, and 80.1±13.51 to 100.5±25.62 respectively.

It seems clearly that there was no significant (<0.05) differences between the collecting periods for all examined variables except for water EC where mean values were significantly (P?0.05) higher in July than that of January. However, similar insignificant differences were recorded between mean values of   tested underground water samples in terms of all physiochemical variables.

The mean values of certain examined variables were well above than those of fresh water of both rivers and lakes such as EC, BOD and Mg ions while the mean values of pH and DO were found to be within the range of similar variables, but the remaining variables were much lower than those reported for raw water. Furthermore, turbidity in water sample of well 5 was extremely higher in July than those of the remaining wells either in January and July.

Key words: Water contamination, underground water, physiochemical variables, fresh water, water standards.