Studies on some heavy metals and water quality parameters in tannery and Municipal sewer effluents with reference to Lake Nakuru.

Abstract

This work describes the results of a study of the pollution load into Lake Nakuru sources in Nakuru from municipal town. and industrial waste It also reports avian species as bioindicators the potential of the pollution of level in the Lake Nakuru environment.Waste water industry and samples the were collected municipal sewer from plants. major sources of toxic chemical pollution The samples were oxygen demand,analysed chemical the These demand,are biological total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, pH and temperature. samples were for analysis obtained in the Lake Nakuru. for lead, chromium,oxygen tannery from Tissue pelican and cormorant birds in Lake Nakuru national park. It was found that levels of chromium and lead in samples taken from Njoro sewer and the conventional sewer effluents varied from 0.02 mg~l to 0.70mg~1, while BOD values varied from 80-200mgL-1. Concentration of chromium and lead in samples taken from river Njoro and Lake Nakuru ranged from 0.01 to 0.60 mgL-l. Levels of chromium and lead in bird tissues were below 1mgL-1 and levels of these metals in Lake Nakuru exceeded the maximum permissible (1971) for drinking water. Pollution from industrial The link between this pollution the death of wildlife not established set by WHO load from Nakuru town to Lake Nakuru was found to be mainly sewer discharges. limits load and in the lake Nakuru National park was not established in this study