SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF GROUNDWATER POTABILITY OF BARANGAY SAN ISIDRO, GENERAL SANTOS CITY

This study was conducted and analyzed in Barangay San Isidro, General Santos City. Six (6) maps of water quality parameters such as Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), pH level, Hardness, Turbidity, and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and a potability map of the Water Quality Index (WQI) were generated using Quantum Geographical Positioning System (QGIS) 2.14 software. The parameters were tested onsite after collecting the selected water samples to observe the value of EC, TDS, PH level, and Hardness and the remaining parameters such as Turbidity, TSS and E. Coli were tested in a water laboratory. In this study, the researcher used WQI calculation to determine which parameter has higher weight and the most significant factors in drinking water. Turbidity obtained the highest unit weight while the electrical conductivity garnered the least value. The laboratory result showed a positive value of E. Coli in the study area. On the other hand, the Southeastern part of study area is relatively high in electrical conductivity in which it also indicated high concentration dissolved solids in the water but it has lesser suspended solids and that concentration of total suspended solids was at the highest potability level. The results also clearly indicated that most of the water samples collected in the study area contain high concentration of minerals such as calcium and magnesium which the water becomes hard. The pH level of all of the water samples in the study ranged from 6.7-7.9 and these values fell within the desirable range for drinking. However, the turbidity varies depending on the amount of particles suspended in the water samples. Overall, the researcher concluded that 61.25% of water samples collected in Barangay San Isidro is safe for drinking while 38.75% of the water samples need to be purified and treated or must be prohibited for drinking.