When
Where
Available via zoom link only (see email for link)
Abstract
Private wells serve over 60 million people in the US and Canada in a largely unregulated, decentralized infrastructure. This talk presents findings from several recent studies that use community-engaged research strategies to support water security in rural communities, combining geoscience, water quality, and public health. I focus on the US Gulf Coast, where a growing population and rising sea levels converge with native estuaries, wetlands, and shallow aquifers to create tightly coupled systems and unique challenges for sustaining water resources. Our results show that 92% of private wells exceeded pH standards and 25% tested positive for total coliform bacteria, with contamination patterns shifting unpredictably between sampling events. We also found widespread misconceptions about groundwater, although private well users scored higher in knowledge tests compared to non-well users. Integrating geoscience, public health, and community knowledge, these studies inform targeted interventions that empower rural residents to better protect water resources.
Bio
Ann Sullivan Ojeda is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University. Her research explores how groundwater connects humans to the geosphere, integrating geochemistry and community-based approaches to address water quality and contamination. By combining classical geochemical techniques with health research, she examines mechanisms of toxicity and disease patterns linked to impaired water quality. Ojeda earned a B.S. in chemistry from Lyon College, an M.S. in chemistry from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Oklahoma. She serves the geoscience community as Treasurer of the Alabama Section of the American Water Resources Association, is a member of the National Academies of Sciences Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, and founded GeoHealth Connect, a community platform advancing transdisciplinary collaboration in geohealth research.