Environmental Groundwater Monitoring of Jones Creek Field, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Groundwater monitoring exercise was carried out in Jones Creek field of Western Niger Delta. The aim was to ascertain the groundwater status of the area where oil exploration has been carried out for over four decades. Ten boreholes were drilled to capture the ground water flow direction. Both in situ and laboratory analyses were conducted on the water samples to ascertain whether or not there is contamination. The status of the groundwater indicates that it meets WHO maximum permissible standards acceptable for domestic purposes. The water is mildly acidic due to the gas flaring associated with exploitation activities. The water is devoid of contamination of oil and grease but has appreciably high iron content thereby requiring treatment to enhance groundwater quality for domestic purposes. The observed high TDS may be due to the incursion of saline water into the phreatic zone. The study establishes the fact that oil exploration and exploitation companies have over the years been adopting environmentally friendly strategies to conserve the prolific aquifer of the area.