MICROBIAL ASSESSMENT OF GROUND WATER

ABSTRACT

Borehole water pollution occurs when pollutants (effluents) are released to the pipes and make their way down into water. The aim of this research was to assess the physicochemical and bacterial contaminants of borehole water. In this study, Standard bacteriological analyses and physicochemical were used to assess water quality and total bacterial count of borehole using pour plate methods. The bacterial isolates were characterized and identified using morphological and biochemical methods, sugar fermentation test, phenotypic virulence test and antibiotic sensitivity test. The percentage distribution and frequency of the isolates were also. From the result obtained, All the values of dissolved oxygen (DO) obtained in this study were higher than the WHO permissible levels of 5 mg/l. The EC of all water samples were below the WHO recommended limit of 500-1500μS/cm, TDS values obtained for this study were generally below the 1000 mg/L upper limit set by WHO above which water become significantly and increasingly unpalatable. The total heterotrophic bacterial population in this studies ranged in values from 2.5x103±0.7cfu/ml – 67.0x103±7.07cfu/ml while that of coliform ranged in same values from 3.0x103±0.0 cfu/ml – 51x103±8.4cfu/ml. The fungal enumeration in his study ranged from 3.0x103±0.00 to 51x103±0.7cfu/ml. using cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics, a total of six bacteria were isolated in this study and they include Pseudomonas sp, Bacillus sp, Escherichia coli, Serratia sp, C. violeceum and Salmonella sp. The fungi species obtained in this study were Aspergillus niger, Mucor sp and Penicillium sp All isolates in this study (staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus sp, Escherichia coli, Shigella sp and Salmonella sp were all susceptible to Gentamicin and Ciprofloxacin but on the other hand were resistance to metronidazole and Colistin.