TITLE:
Assessment of Microbiological Contaminants in Selected Wells in Agona Swedru Township, Ghana
AUTHORS:
Gifty Nyarko Kwakye, Worlanyo Kwabena Agbosu, Felix Tetteh Kabutey
KEYWORDS:
Microbiological Contamination, Groundwater, Agona Swedru Township, Septic Tanks
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.16 No.9,
September
22,
2026
ABSTRACT: Rapid global urbanization has intensified pressure on water resources, particularly groundwater, which serves about 4.1 billion people worldwide. Shallow aquifers near residential areas are vulnerable to contamination, particularly where sanitation systems are poorly managed. This study assessed microbiological contamination of well water and examined the association between contamination levels and distance from septic tanks in Agona Swedru Township. Ten cemented hand-dug wells were selected purposively and sampled once weekly for five consecutive weeks, generating 50 well-week observations. Microbiological assessment used membrane filtration and pour-plate culture methods with Harlequin agar to detect total coliforms and Escherichia coli. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used. For regression, the five weekly observations for each well were summarized as a well-level mean, giving an effective sample size of 10 independent wells; the regression models were therefore treated as exploratory. E. coli was detected in six of the ten wells (60%), while total coliforms were detected in seven wells (70%). No statistically significant association was observed between septic-tank distance and either E. coli or total coliform levels. Because well construction, drainage, soil characteristics, groundwater flow and septic-tank leakage were not directly measured, they are considered potential explanations rather than demonstrated determinants. The study recommends routine microbiological monitoring, improved protection of hand-dug wells, and further investigation of pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoa in groundwater used for domestic purposes.