EFFECT OF BREWERY EFFLUENT ON THE BACTERIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF IKPOBA RIVER, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Industrial wastewaters entering water body represents a heavy source of environmental pollution in most Nigerian rivers. In this study, we aimed at investigating the impact of brewery effluent on the bacteriological and physiochemical properties of Ikpoba River, Edo state, Nigeria. Samples were collected from 4 different locations along the river between September 2010 and December 2010. The bacteriological parameters studied were total heterotrophic counts, which had values ranging from 1.20 x 104 to 6.30 x 105 cfu/ml; total coliform counts ranged from 1.10 x 102 to 9.00 x 102 MPN.mL-1, while total Escherichia coli counts ranged from 30 to 150 MPN.mL-1. Microorganism isolated included; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Citrobacter freundii. The physicochemical parameters studies show that most of the values obtained were higher than the WHO tolerant levels, indicating pollution of Ikpoba River by the brewery effluents. This could be hazardous to human health when used primarily for domestic activities. Therefore, improved monitoring of brewery effluent discharged into the river is highly recommended.