Assessing Physicochemical Properties of Water: A Case Study of Rivers Flowing into River Benue in Loko Town, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

This study focused on the analysis of nine water samples from three selected rivers across three towns in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. These rivers are Antau River, Kotto River, and Loko River. The primary aim was to assess various physiochemical properties of these water samples, including pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids, total organic Sulphur, total organic nitrogen (TON), and total organic carbon (TOC). Conventional methods were used to evaluate the physical and chemical characteristics of the water samples. The results from this research reveal that the water exhibits moderate alkalinity in some areas and moderate acidity in others, and it contains organic and ionizable substances. In addition, the analysis of pH (4.389), EC (398.1 µS/cm), TDS (424.7 mg/L), TOS (200.9 mg/L), TON (5.222 mg/L), and TOC (0.975 mg/L) falls within the recommended standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), with the exception of turbidity (0.7 NTU), which exceeds the recommended levels. Based on the findings of this study, it is advisable to continue using these three rivers, but regular monitoring is strongly recommended