CHAPTER FOUR

Results and Discussions

4.1 Surveys

4.1.1 Findings of the surveys

The descriptive account of the findings is as follows: -
 100% of the boreholes are located in residential areas where borehole water is used
for agricultural activities.
 20% of the sampled boreholes are near areas where fertiliser (Compound D) is used
to boost plant growth for example at No. 54 Alexander Rd.
 100% of the boreholes are located in the neighbourhood of a septic tank.
 100% of the residents use a farm area of 5 hectares.
 40% of the boreholes are used as a source of drinking water such as at No.56
Primula Rd.
 20% of the respondents are growing peas, being the only leguminous crop being
grown in the neighbourhood of a sampled borehole e.g. at No. 29 Fletcher Rd.
 0% of the respondents have ever experienced the blueness in infants’ skin of the eyes,
feet e.t.c.

4.1.2 Comments on the findings from surveys

- There is a possibility of contamination of the borehole water with nitrates from septic
tanks at all the residential sampling points.
- Fertiliser use is not intensive, thus the only borehole with a possibility of nitrate
source from fertiliser is at No54 Alexander Ave.
- Legumes are not grown in most residential areas serve for No. 29 Fletcher Road thus
the nitrates at all the other residential boreholes are possibly not affected by
leguminous plants.

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 4.2 Results of Laboratory Tests

No. Location Cond COD PH Cl- Fl- SO42- P.V Nitrates Turbidity
Boreholes
1 56 Primula 229 6.55 505.52 2.23 20 0.6 45.8 0.09
2 54 Alexander 94.2 7.08 17.04 1.04 15.29 6.2 11.43 0.83
3 29 Fletcher 116.9 7.77 122.12 0.38 22.33 4.5 0.09 0.31
4 19 Nerine 0.34 7.22 252.76 1.15 101.18 1.6 0.8 0.44
5 Cunningham 196.6 6.98 85.2 2.75 35.29 0.4 32.9 0.28
6 Aisleby 0.36 7.29 352.16 1.04 76.47 1.4 4.90 0.54
WorksWell
7 Aisleby1&2 Final 174.2 7.37 979.52 2.19 58.82 8.2 0.01 0.60
Leachates
1 L 7.2 8.20 3585. 34.4 0.91
5
2 L 9.3 8.06 2627 29.76 0.89
3 L 5.6 8.29 1491 14.29 0.65
4 L 5.4 8.16 1091. 2.38 0.34
5
Table 4.1: Laboratory test results on the underground water sampled in the region of Aisleby
on the 13th of January 2006

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No. Location Alkalinity Total hardness Cl- Phosphates P.V Nitrates SO42-
Borehole
1 56 Primula 264 910 465.8 1.63 0.2 12.9 75.6
3 29Fletcher Rd 108 405 113.6 0.19 5.3 0.01 48.9
Trenance
4 19Nerine 536 950 264.12 0.13 1.0 0.9 205.6
Trenance
6 Aisleby Well 604 830 337.96 0.13 0.7 5.9 166.7
8 1 Brooke Rd 16 240 71 0.25 0.2 42.7 60.0
9 Aisleby Padd 192 170 79.52 3.19 24.2 2.8 106.7
44
12 Aisleby3 96 380 93.72 5.63 5.3 17.5 97.8
Cascade
Leachates

1 L 236 2945 0 28.4 23.7

2 L 320 1513 275 14.29 14.29

Table 4.2: Laboratory test results on the underground water sampled in the region of Aisleby
on the 9th of February 2006

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 Table 4.3: Laboratory test results on underground water sampled in the region of Aisleby on
the 23rd of February 2006
No. Location Alkalinity Total Cl- Phosphates P.V Nitrates SO42-
hardness
Borehole
1 56 Primula 280 900 488.3 1.64 0.3 13.4 224
3 29Fletcher Rd 164 415 08.9 2.6 4.8 0.06 54.1
Trenance
4 19Nerine 600 924 302 0.13 1.6 1.2 220
Trenance
6 Aisleby Well 764 816 321.23 0.15 0.9 8.6 200.7
8 1 Brooke Rd 18 301 76 0.29 0.6 40.1 58.6
9 Aisle Padd 44 201 186 70.4 3.2 23 6.6 106.66
12 Aisleby3 100 383 93.80 5.7 18.4
Cascade
Leachates
1 L 1760 3504 130
2 L 2040 2788 0 7.8
3 L 1320 1604 275 1.7

4.3 Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient

The summarised results of the Spearman rank coefficient test carried out on the sixteen
sampling points are shown in the table overleaf. The results show the correlationship between
all the other parameters and chemical constituents with the concentration of nitrates for the
tested water samples.

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Item Analyte (Y) Computed (rsm) Critical (rst) Remarks Comment

1 Chlorides -0.021 0.446 |rsm|< rst No correlation

2 Temperature -0.673 0.600 |rsm|> rst Inverse

correlation
3 Depth -0.59 0.564 |rsm|> rst Inverse
correlation
4 P.V -0.633 0.600 |rsm|> rst Inverse
correlation
5 pH 0.327 0.563 |rsm|< rst No correlation

6 Sulphates -0.125 0.600 |rsm|< rst No correlation

7 Phosphates 0.81 0.714 |rsm|> rst Direct correlation

8 Total -0.046 0.714 |rsm|< rst No correlation

Hardness
9 Alkalinity -0.375 0.714 |rsm|< rst No correlation

10 Conductivity -0.19 0.714 |rsm|< rst No correlation

Figure 4.10: Correlationship between nitrates and other chemical constituents of

underground water

4.4 Analysis of Nitrates Results

1. The initial point of sampling was at the effluent point of Aisbley 1 & 2, with a nitrate
concentration of less than 1 mg/L, this could be due to the fact that Aisbley 2 is not
functioning properly, thus there is less oxidation of nitrogenous compounds resulting
in low nitrate concentration. Nitrates concentrations from all the sampled points
ranged from 0 to 47,62mg/l. WHO, (1993) recommends that drinking water should
contain not more than 10mg/l NO3 and allows for a maximum of 50mg/l NO 3.
Boreholes at Stand No. 19 Nerine, 29 Fletcher rd and the well at a Paddock 44 are
suitable for human consumption as far as the nitrates are concerned. However, all

59
 boreholes in the region of Cunningham cannot be used for human consumption since
the level of nitrates is above the maximum recommended limit.
2. The water samples collected from the borehole at No.1 Brooke Rd and No.6
Cunningham have 42.7 mg/L and 20.24 mg/L of nitrates respectively, which is well
above the maximum recommended. The nitrates in this region are higher than the
nitrates in the effluent of Aisleby 1 & 2, which ranges from 0.01 to 1.00 mg/L, thus
the contribution of nitrates from reclaimed water is likely to be low if ever the nitrates
could perhaps have leached to the borehole water.

No. 1 Brooke is in the neighbourhood of Richmond Landfill site, which is a possible

source of contamination of underground water with nitrates. It has however been
noted those leachates No. 2 & 3 have level of 7.8 and 1.7mg/L respectively, which is
far less than the nitrates in No. 1 Brooke Rd Borehole and No.6 Cunningham .The
contribution of the Leachates is less likely to be the major cause of contamination in
the area though part of the nitrates could have leached from the Landfill site to the
region of No.1 Brooke, we would expect a quantity of much less than 7.8mg/L since
the concentration decreases as the nitrates move from the point of contamination.

The use of septic tanks is also a possible source of contamination of underground

water; however it is unlikely to be the key cause of the high levels of concentrations
on samples collected at Richmond suburb, since the rest of the sampled boreholes are
where households use septic tanks but do not have such quantities of nitrates.

From the questionnaire carried out, fertilizers such as chicken manure are used in the
research area even at places where the nitrates are lower than at No. 1 Brooke; the
contribution of fertilizers is a possibly source of underground nitrates but not the
major contaminating agent at the area.
.

The region of No.56 Primula, 19Nerine, 29Fletcher, Aisleby Sewage Works and Paddock
44 have a generally low content of nitrates in underground water as shown in the in the
figure 4.1 above. Human activities of farming and the use of septic tanks in this area is

60
common to all the residents such that the variations in the nitrates concentration in
underground water is less likely to be due to the activities.
Furthermore the geology of the environment is the same in this region thus investigations
reveal that a variation in the depth of individual boreholes and the annual temperature is
inversely proportional to the concentration of nitrates in underground water. Shallow
boreholes have higher nitrates concentrations since greater quantities originate from the
organics and fertilizers on the earth surface and amounts decrease as they leach to deeper
underground.
The spearman rank correlation test carried out to check for relationship between nitrates
concentration and depth at Aisleby revealed an inverse correlation with a rank coefficient
of -0.59. The same test for the relationship between nitrates and temperature revealed an
inverse relationship of -0.673 the results of the tests are shown in the appendixes.
The distribution of nitrates in underground water for the three months sampling period is
shown overleaf..

Trenance

Sew erage W orks

B/H No. 8

Landfill Site

Figure 4.1: Distribution of nitrates in the region of Aisleby farm and its environs

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 Borehole No. Location Nitrates (mg/L) Depth (m) Annual Temp
(oc)
1 56 Primula 14.2 18.5 23.4
2 54 Alexander 11.43 29 26.9
3 29 Fletcher Rd 0.05 30.5 24.2
4 19 Nerine 0.97 34.0 29.2
5 Cunningham 32.6 27.2 21.8
6 Aisleby Well 6.47 26.0 26.1
8 1 Brooke Rd 42.87 17.5 19.6
9 Aisleby Paddock 6.86 24.0 26.0
10 Glenvale 26.93 25.5 24.8
11 Erine 12.7 30.8 27.0
Table 4.4: Concentration of nitrates, depth and annual temperature at the sampled
boreholes

The figure 4.2 above shows that the nitrates concentrations vary in depth and temperature
with space for samples collected from the environs of Aisleby in the period September 2005
to March 2006. From the graph nitrates at every location vary inversely with temperature and
depth of each borehole.

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The seven-year trend shown below shows the response of average concentration of nitrates to
annual rainfall variations, downward in the first three years and upward in the last four years
(Chikanya, 2005).

63
Fig 4.3 Variation of nitrates with time.

4.5 Chlorides
Leachates at Richmond Landfill site tested high levels of chlorides with leachate No. 2
giving a concentration of 461mg/L. The minimum chlorides were in the borehole located at
Stand No. 54 Alexander Road in Trenance. There is no health-based limit to chloride
concentration in drinking water even after the intake of large amounts of chlorides; chlorides
in the body are well regulated by a complex system (WHO, 1993). Chlorine is thought to be
never lacking in farm soil (Plaster, 1992).

For the results collected during the research chlorides are generally decreasing from both the
landfill site and the farm where wastewater is used for irrigation. EPA recommends 200mg/l
for drinking water and allows a maximum limit of 300mg/l, thus the boreholes located at No.
56 Primula, 19 Nerine and at the Aisleby works are not suitable for providing consumption
water. The leachates however, though not designed to provide drinking water are above the
maximum recommended limit. The major possible source of chlorides in the region of
Aisleby is could be from the chlorite in the underlying green stone and also the septic tank
effluents. Spearman rank correlation test was used to depict the existence of a relationship
between nitrates and chlorides concentrations, a correlation coefficient of -0.021 was
achieved showing that there is no relationship in the variation of nitrates and chlorides across

64
the region of Aisleby farm. The distribution of chlorides across the region of Aisleby is
shown below.

Trenance
B /H 9 Sew age W orks

Landfill

Figure 4.4: Distribution of chlorides in the region of Aisleby farm and its environs

4.6 Fluorides
Sampled solutions tested fluorides in the region of 0 to 2.23 mg/l. Leachates at the landfill
site had higher values and their absorbance was above the limit given by the Absorbance
spectrometer at the BCC laboratory thus they were not computed.
WHO (1993) stated that levels of fluorides above the concentration of 1.5mg/l could lead to
fluorides a condition characterised by the mottling of tooth enamel. EPA recommends a
concentration of 1mg/l and a maximum allowable limit of 1.5mg/l. The yearly changes in
fluorides do not seem to vary in the yearly rainfall (Chikanya, 2004).
Spearman rank correlation test was used to depict the existence of a relationship between
nitrates and chlorides concentrations, a correlation coefficient of -0.642 was achieved
showing that there is no relationship in the variation of nitrates and fluorides across the
region of Aisleby farm. The figure overleaf shows variation of fluorides across the region for
the tested samples.

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 Trenance

B /H N o. 3

STW
B /H N o. 6

R ichm ond

Figure 4.5: Distribution of fluorides in the region of Aisleby farm and its environs

4.7 Total Hardness

It ranged from 170-950mg/l with the well at Paddock 44 giving the least hardness and the
borehole at No. 19 Nerine giving the highest hardness. The distribution of hardness across
the region of Aisleby is shown below. Water for human consumption having hardness above
200mg/l is generally considered too hard (WHO, 1993). There is no health-bared guideline
for calcium hardness; however the taste threshold for calcium is in the region of 100-300mg/l
(WHO, 1993).
Chikanya stated that depending on pH and alkalinity calcium hardness,levels above 200mg/l
can cause scale deposition especially on heating. The WHO guideline limit for drinking
water hardness is 100mg/l (WHO, 1993). Hardness is observed to vary immensely with the
annual rainfall for the year 1993 to 1999. The variation of total hardness and calcium with
time for the year 1993 to 1999 is shown below.

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 19 N erine R d

Trenance

STW

Landfill site

Figure 4.7: Distribution of total hardness in the region of Aisleby farm and its environs

4.8 Sulphates
For the three-month sampling, sulphates varied from 15,9 to 205mg/l, with the least
concentration being at Stand No. 54 Alexander and the maximum being at Stand No. 19
Nerine in Trenance. Possible sources of sulphates could be due to the use of sulphur
fertilizer and the wastewater irrigation. SA25: 1997 recommends a limit of 200mg/l and a
maximum allowable limit for 500mg/l however there is no health-based limit to sulphates in
drinking water. Sulphates tested with no correlation with nitrates when using the spearman
rank correlation coefficient, sulphates are ions existing combined with metals and they can
occur natural but the nitrates are nutrients and do not occur naturally. The spatial distribution
of sulphates is shown below.

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 Trenance

STW

R ichm ond

Figure 4.8: Distribution of sulphates in the region of Aisleby farm and its environs

4.9 Conductivity
Conductivity varied between 0.34 and 229, the least being at Stand No. 19 Nerine and the
maximum being at No. 56 Primula, conductivity had no large variations with the distance
from the farm. Leachates at the landfill site had a much higher conductivity out of the range
of the conductivity meter available at the BCC Laboratory.
Variations of conductivity within the region of Aisleby are shown in the figure below for the
laboratory tests carried out during the research. The correlation of conductivity with nitrates
gave a coefficient of 0.19 when tested using the spearman rank correlation coefficient the
results of the test are shown in the appendixes. This means that the presence of nitrates is
likely not to be affected by the conductivity of underground water.

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 Trenance Region

STW
Padd 44

R ichm ond

Landfill

Figure 4.10: Distribution of conductivity in the region of Aisleby farm and its environs

4.10 Permanganate Value

This is the measure of the organic matter in water that can reduce oxygen and affect aquatic
life. Permanganate value ranged from 0.36 to 23.6mg/L. The highest value was at Aisleby
Paddock 44, this might have been due to the animal wastes and use of treated waste water for
irrigation that leaches to the underground water.
The well is kept open thus there is a possibility of organic wastes falling into the well. The
minimum permanganate value was at no 56 Primula road. The distribution of the level of
permanganate value across the research region is shown in three dimensions below.

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 Trenance

STW

R ichm ond

Landfill site

Figure 4.10: Distribution of P.V in the region of Aisleby farm and its environs

4.80 Geology

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