Abstract

Suspended solid transport plays a key role in the transport of contaminants in rivers; hence, quantifying suspended solid concentration (SSC) is essential to understanding contaminant transport. This study presents the turbidity and suspended solids characteristics of River Elemi and Ureje, Ado Ekiti by establishing a relationship between suspended solids concentration (SSC) and turbidity to quantify the suspended solids concentration (SSC) in the rivers. The results indicate positive correlation R2=0.86 and R2=0.97, respectively between suspended solids concentration (SSC) and turbidity suggesting turbidity as a satisfactory parameter to monitor suspended solid concentration (SSC) in the river. The turbidity and suspended solid concentration (SSC) for sets of samples from river Elemi and Ureje show different values, the average SSC in Elemi river samples are 1.2 times higher than SSC in Ureje river samples. The study assessed human activities as a factor impacting turbidity and suspended solids concentration with the spatial variation of the parameters.

Keywords: Turbidity; Suspended solid; Concentration; Transport; Contaminants