Qualitative Characterization of Groundwater around NNPC Oil Depot Aba

Siting the Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) Depot Aba within the unconfined and shallow aquifer units of the Coastal Plain Sands (Benin Formation) in the Eastern Niger Delta Basin has been a potential threat to the environment (including groundwater sources) in the area. These threats are principally from leakages and spills associated with loading and offloading of petroleum products in this depot, as well as washing of oil storage tanks, and age of the underground tanks. Thus, assessing the potentials of the Depot, as a source of water pollution in the area, and the suitability of the groundwater for human uses becomes inevitable.The research is considered beneficial to the communities (consumers), policy makers,Government and private environmental regulatory agencies, especially in the area of increasing the existing knowledge on safety status of the available groundwater. It will also, provide template to planners of water resources development and environment managers, as well as insight to the recharge and discharge processes and pollutant transport potentials of the study area.