Study of Organic Contaminants in Surface Water Around Tank Farms in Oghareki - Oghara Community, Delta State, Nigeria

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Pollution of the aquatic environment with organic contaminants has become a world problem because they are indestructible and most of them have toxic effects on man and organism. This study covers the determination of organic contaminants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) oil and grease (O and G) in surface water around tank farms in Oghareki community, Delta State. The samples were collected for a period of twelve months (April 2022 – March 2023) at distances of 100 meters to 1 kilometer away from the tank farms. After sampling, samples were transported to the laboratory for chemical analyses. Each of the samples were tested for the presence of VOCs and TPHs by the use of Gas Chromatography coupled with Flame Ionization Detector (GC/FID) and O and G by Uv / visible spectrophotometer. Data were presented as mean triplicate of analyses and results of organic contaminants in water analyses showed mean O and G in the ranged of 0.002 – 0.006 and 0.004 – 0.007mg/L; mean TPHs in the range of 1.607 – 8.132 and 3.319 – 4.835mg/L, and mean VOCs in the range from 0.014 – 0.409 and 0.122 – 0.354mg/L for months and distances of investigations respective. Observations showed that the surface water around the tank farms are contaminated at some points and polluted at some other points when results of the study locations compared with that of the control. Results of monthly analyses were higher during the dry season than wet season. The contamination / pollution of the environment was attributed to nature of activities around the tank farms. It was therefore recommended that individuals should consider the consequences of their actions and work to improve the quality of soil and water Keywords: Volatile organic compounds, total petroleum hydrocarbons, oil and grease, pollution, contamination, and environment.