Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Attitudes, Perceptions and Geo-Spatial Analysis of Water Quality and Individual Health Status in a High-Fracking Region

Paula Stigler Granados
ORCID logo ,
Zacariah L. Hildenbrand
,
Claudia Mata
,
Sabrina Habib
,
Misty Martin
,
Doug Carlton Jr.
,
Inês C. Santos
,
Kevin A. Schug
,
Lawrence Fulton
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 17 May 2019 / Approved: 20 May 2019 / Online: 20 May 2019 (03:11:04 CEST)
Version 2 : Received: 21 May 2019 / Approved: 22 May 2019 / Online: 22 May 2019 (06:08:21 CEST)
Version 3 : Received: 12 July 2019 / Approved: 12 July 2019 / Online: 12 July 2019 (06:28:16 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Granados, P.S.; Hildenbrand, Z.L.; Mata, C.; Habib, S.; Martin, M.; Jr., D.C.; Santos, I.C.; Schug, K.A.; Fulton, L. Attitudes, Perceptions, and Geospatial Analysis of Water Quality and Individual Health Status in a High-Fracking Region. Water 2019, 11, 1633. Granados, P.S.; Hildenbrand, Z.L.; Mata, C.; Habib, S.; Martin, M.; Jr., D.C.; Santos, I.C.; Schug, K.A.; Fulton, L. Attitudes, Perceptions, and Geospatial Analysis of Water Quality and Individual Health Status in a High-Fracking Region. Water 2019, 11, 1633.

Abstract

The expansion of unconventional oil and gas development (UD) across the US continues to be at the center of debates regarding safety to health and the environment. This study evaluated the water quality of private water wells in the Eagle Ford Shale within the context of community members perception. Community members (n=75) were surveyed regarding health status and perceptions of drinking water quality. Water samples (n=19) were collected from private wells and tested for a variety of water quality parameters. Of the private wells sampled, 8 had exceedences of MCLs for drinking water standards. Geospatial analysis showed the majority of well owners who did have exceedances self-reported their health status as poor. Surveys showed that the majority of respondents received their water from a municipal source and were significantly more distrustful of their water source than of those on private wells. The data also showed a high number of people self-reporting health problems without a healthcare provider’s diagnosis. Attitudes and perceptions of water quality play an important role in the overall perceived health status of community members in high fracking regions, stressing the importance of transparency and communication by the UD industry.

Keywords

unconventional oil and gas development; health survey; anthropogenic impacts; perception

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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