Assessment of Physicochemical Characteristics and Heavy Metals Concentrations in Sediment and Water Samples from Creek Road Market Landing-Bay in the Bonny Estuary Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper assessed the physicochemical characteristics and heavy metals concentrations in Sediment and water samples from Creek Road Market Landing-Bay in the Bonny Estuary, Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria using standard procedures. Results revealed overall mean values for the analyzed parameters as follows: Temperature: 30.52±0.59°C, pH: 6.78±0.44, Electrical Conductivity: 1593.67±474.60, Total Dissolved Solids: 746.22±138.95, Salinity: 371.33±69.37, Dissolved Oxygen: 3.74±0.36, Nitrate: 26.98±2.78, Phosphate: 2.05±0.25, Hardness: 13.28±0.48 and Biological dissolved oxygen: 0.6±0.17. Heavy metal concentrations showed overall mean values as follows: In water samples –Zinc: 8.97±0.67, and Lead: 1.53±0.23.In sediment samples - Zinc: 8.91±1.04, and Lead: 5.6±0.76. Cadmium and Mercury were below the detection limit of the measuring equipment (<0.001).The concentration levels the physicochemical parameters and heavy metals were found to be higher than the WHO standard limits for water and sediments. It is possible that the food web in this study environment may be at risk of heavy metal contamination.