title: Chemical and biological characteristics of streams in the Owabi watershed.
abstract: In this investigation, concentrations of physico-chemical and bacteriological qualities of water samples from the major streams within the Owabi watershed in Kumasi, Ghana, were measured at five different locations. The streams were moderately soft and neutral, having a mean pH range of 7.08 +/- 0.2 to 7.88 +/- 0.6. Total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, grease and oil, alkalinity, and the major ion levels varied significantly at each sampling site. Nutrient levels were however low and did not show any clear variation at sample locations. The bacteriological quality of the water was poor, rendering it unsafe for domestic purposes without treatment. The poor bacteriological quality was due to direct contamination by animal and human wastes. The streams have an appreciable self-purification capacity which is stressed by persistent pollution overloads caused by expanding human activities within the catchment. Cluster analysis performed on the data to determine pollution patterns between the streams depicts that River Owabi was less polluted, Rivers Akyeampomene and Sukobri were moderately polluted, while River Pumpunase was highly polluted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. wofakmann@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Osei
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Akoto
authors.forename: Theophilus Nicolas
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: Godfred
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Darko
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005843:Geography; D005869:Ghana; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014872:Water Movements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical