Seasonal Variation in Water Quality of the Weija Dam, Ghana

Abstract

The water quality examination of the Weija dam was conducted by determining the physicochemical parametersat ten (10) sampling sites in March 2014, representing the dry season and August 2014, representing the wetseason. Physicochemical parameters such as temperature, pH, conductivity, hardness and nutrients weremeasured. Values of the parameters were all within the acceptable limits of WHO with the exception ofphosphate concentrations which were above the threshold limit in the wet season. The results of this study alsoindicated that there were significant differences in concentrations of the physicochemical parameters between thetwo seasons. The physiochemical parameters ranged from 6.62 to 8.00 (pH unit), 94.95 to 285.61.00 μS/cm(electrical conductivity), 28.59 to 73.45 mg/L (total dissolved solids), 49.18 to 94.54 mg/L (total hardness),86.21 to 105.68 mg/L (alkalinity) and dissolved oxygen levels of 2.70 to 5.84 mg/L in both seasons. The meanconcentration of nitrates in the dry season was 0.32 mg/L and 0.31 mg/L in the wet season. Chloride, fluorideand phosphate concentrations ranged from 43.54 to 67.13 mg/L, 0.03 to 0.09 mg/L and 0.03 to 0.40 mg/Lrespectively.Keywords: Weija dam, Water quality, physicochemical analyses, seasonal variation