Abstract

Water is vital to the existence of all living organisms, but its value is increasingly being threatened as human populations grow and demand more water of high quality for various activities. This has led to water deterioration in quality and quantity for consumption by humans and has also impacted in the aquatic ecosystem. The aim of this paper is to access the vulnerability of Ikpoba River to eutrophication through the determination of phosphate and nitrate concentration. Eighteen water samples were collected from six stations in triplicate at an interval of two weeks throughout the duration of sampling. Temperature, pH, and conductivity were recorded in-situ and there was significant difference between nitrate and phosphate concentration together with majority of the other parameters recorded at the various stations. Comparison of results obtained from this study with those of other studies indicated that increased concentration of nitrate and phosphate in Ikpoba River are probably caused by discharge of pollution load from Guinness Nigerian Brewery’s domestic sewage, agriculture, and slaughter house which have further accelerated the occurrence of eutrophication.

Key words: Eutrophication, nutrients, phosphate, nitrate.