Effect of Septic Tanks and Agricultural Wastes on Springs Water Quality Deterioration in Wadi Shu eib Catchment Area-Jordan

In the Wadi Shu'eib Catchment Area water sources from local springs are harvested for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes. A significant portion of these springs' water is not properly treated. The deterioration of water quality of these springs is caused by agricultural activities and septic tanks. This study aims at defining the current level of pollution by conducting physical, chemical and biological analyses. According to the Jordanian Standards (JS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for drinking water, Hazzir, Jadour Fouqa and Jadour Tahta springs are polluted with nitrate and Hazzir is the only spring polluted with phosphate. Furthermore, all of them exceed the permissible limits of COD, BOD5 and Total Coliform. All of these springs can be used for irrigation. There is a distinct relationship between the geology of the study area which is superjacent with the Upper Cretaceous Limestone rocks and seepage of wastewater into the groundwater.