Date of Award
2016
Publisher
North Dakota State University
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Awarded
Master of Science (MS)
Program
Civil Engineering
Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
College
Engineering
Faculty Advisor
Khan, Eakalak
Description
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.
Recommended Citation
Torres, Luisa Fernanda, "Holistic Risk Assessment of Surface Water Contamination by Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material in Oil Produced Water from the Bakken Shale" (2016). Civil and Environmental Engineering. 32.
https://digitalcommons.ndsu.edu/civil-environmental-eng/32
Rights
NDSU Policy 190.6.2
Rights Link
https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf
Handle Identifier
https://hdl.handle.net/10365/28216