Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences: Research Areas

Abstract:
Multivariate methods were used formally for interpretation of chemical data but with the advent of groundwater softwares for plotting hydrogeochemical data, graphical techniques that provide faster interpretation are gradually being preferred. Fifty water samples were collected from Dahomey basin in Southwestern Nigeria during dry season when dissolved constituents were at peak. Physical parameters measured were: temperature, pH, Ec and TDS measured using portable pH meter. Subsequently,water samples were analyzed for bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate, nitrate, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper, chromium, cadmium, lead, arsenic, nickel, total hardness, calcium hardness, manganese, turbidity, alkalinity, oil and grease using APHA standard method. Graphical techniques used were bar charts, pie chart, Piper�s, Stiff, Durov, Gibbs diagrams and radial plots. The diagram were plotted using geochemical workbench and excel softwares. Gibbs diagrams, showed rock dominance of the most samples showing the influence of water/soil � water interaction. This suggests that the dissolved constituents could be attributed to chemical weathering of the rock forming minerals and atmospheric precipitation. The Piper�s diagrams revealed the hydrogeochemical facies, types of water as: NaCl and Ca (HCO3) 2 water types with bicarbonate as dominant. The bar charts, pie charts, Stiff diagrams and radial plots showed sulphates as the lowest major ions while bicarbonate was the highest. Graphical techniques made it possible for large and complex data to been seen as diagrams at a glance and their interpretation are easily comprehended unlike the numerical interpretation that may require certain skills for interpretation.

Keywords: Dissolved Constituents, Groundwater Software, Major Ions, Water Samples, Hydrogeochemical.

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