Modelling the Impact of Spilled Oil at Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Jetty on Surface Water Quality

This study was to model the impact of oily wastes discharge and other contaminants to the river at Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Base Jetty. The methodology of the study include review of relevant literatures, field measurement of hydraulic properties and laboratory analysis of physico-chemical parameters of the stream from eight (8) sampling stations covering the dry and rainy seasons. The results obtained from the analysis showed that the DO varied from 2.51mg/l to 4.22mg/l and BOD₅ varied from 4.31mg/l to 12.42mg/l along the stream. The re-aeration coefficient K_r of the stream varied from 0.018d^-1 to 0.340d^-1. The model developed from the values of K_r observed and K_r predicted showed strong correlation with a coefficient of correlation of 0.93. The observed K_r  was compared with predicted K_r, Gualtieri, Churchill, Agunwamba, O’Connor and Dobbins,  and Ugbebor which gave standard errors of 0.0404, 0.1290, 0.1860, 0.0451, 0.1868 and 3.1118 respectively.. This showed that the study K_r model performed better than the other K_r models. The self-purification factor of the study river gave 0.36, indicating that the stream is sluggish and polluted. The study recommended close monitoring of discharges and activities at Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Base Jetty.

Keywords: Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, Spilled Oil, Water Quality