Holistic Risk Assessment of Surface Water Contamination by Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material in Oil Produced Water from the Bakken Shale

Abstract

The risks to the environment and human health due to hydraulic fracturing (HF) in onshore unconventional oil and gas (O&G) development have been studied in the past but results are inconclusive. A common shortcoming in previous studies is the absence of social risk perception and awareness analysis. This thesis research proposes the combination of statistical methods to analyze risks to human health due to improper management of produced water, the major by-product of HF. This study focuses on the Bakken Shale located in North Dakota. A risk assessment of radium-226 was performed from a technical perspective only. A second assessment, focused on lead-210, combined technical analysis with risk perception and awareness of ND residents. Results indicate that the latter offers more holistic information that could greatly contribute to the mitigation of risks in O&G development by creation and implementation of standards and regulations that consider technical and social aspects.