Drinking Water Quality of Selected Tap Water Samples in Cagayan de Oro (District II), Philippines

Abstract: This study was conducted to preliminarily determine present drinking water quality of selected District II communities in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. Five community stations (total twenty stations) were established covering three months tap water monitoring. All samples were analyzed using portable meters determining the pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, conductivity, salinity, turbidity, and total dissolved solids (TDS) Overall, all studied tap water samples from selected stations passed the drinking water regulations except for conductivity (Risk quotient>1). Similarly, both pH and turbidity analyses showed a sampling date specific variations (p<0.05) while the analyses of temperature and salinity showed station specific variations (p<0.05). A strong correlation of studied parameters was also found between conductivity-salinity (r = 0.98); conductivity-TDS (r = 0.90); and salinity-TDS (r = 0.92). Extrapolating from this it can be concluded that the tap water samples were safe to drink. The study was preliminary and further analyses incorporating metals, pathogens, and organics may be needed.