Abstract
The contamination of water bodies by chemicals such as nitrates have negative impact on water quality living organisms (aquatic organisms, animals and humans). Some communities in the developing countries solely rely on untreated river water as their only source of potable water. This is the case for the large number of South African citizens. Nitrate contamination is a serious problem in various water systems across the world. Therefore, this study investigated nitrate concentrations and physico-chemical parameters in surface water and wastewater samples from Umlaas River, Sterkspruit Stream and Hammarsdale Wastewater Treatment Works, South Africa. The monitoring of nitrates, pH, chemical oxygen demand, electrical conductivity and suspended solids was carried out seasonally (12-month cycle). The Chemical analyses indicated the nitrate concentrations was 0.10-6.10 mg L-1 , 0.30-21.4 mg L-1 and 0.31-28.1 mg L-1 for Umlaas River, Sterkspruit Stream and Hammarsdale Wastewater Treatment Works. The variation of on the concentration of the nitrates in waters samples across the four seasons was noticed...
M.Sc. (Chemistry)