Well Empowered program expanding to Robeson County

UNC SRP CEC members and Public Health Action Committee members, Jeff Currie and Jada Brooks met with Brian Lowry (top left) of the Robeson County Environmental Health to gain support for future research studies in the county.
The UNC SRP Community Engagement Core (CEC) is expanding the Well Empowered research study to Robeson County, NC and the surrounding area. The CEC is collaborating with the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and the Winyah Rivers Alliance to expand well testing efforts, into areas where community partners have expressed concerns about possible industrial contamination of private wells. In the most recent iteration of this study, researchers tested over 200 private drinking water wells in Union County, NC and found high levels of arsenic, which is naturally-occurring in this region.
“I have enjoyed a long partnership with UNC SRP and am excited to bring their well testing efforts to Robeson County,” said Lumber Riverkeeper, Jeff Currie.
Robeson County is one of the most racially diverse counties in the state, with large American Indian, Black and Hispanic, populations. It is also home to the headquarters of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. On September 19, the Lumbee Tribe passed a resolution to become an official collaborator on this research study.

Recruiting for the Well Empowered study in Robeson County, with Larry Edwards, Culturally Responsive Environmental Justice Program Coordinator, Agriculture & Natural Resources Department, Lumbee Tribe of NC.
“Collaborating with the Lumbee Tribe on drinking water research honors this community’s unique history and environmental perspectives,” said CEC Coordinator Dr. Andrew George. “This partnership not only strengthens our study but also deepens our understanding of the tribe’s distinct challenges in safeguarding homes served by private wells in the coastal plain.”
Researchers are recruiting participants over the next few months. Members of the CEC attended the 2024 Lumbee Powwow and Robeson County Fair on September 28 to begin reaching out to the community.

Average arsenic and lead concentrations in private drinking water wells in Hoke, Robeson, and Scotland Counties, and in monitoring wells at the #8301 Construction and Demolition Landfill.
Source: Boss, J., George, A., & Gray, K. (2024). Exploring Drinking Water Contamination in North Carolina Communities Served by Private Wells. Office of Graduate Research Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium , Raleigh, NC, United States.
This summer, 21st Century Environmental Health Scholar (21EH) and UNC undergraduate Jack Boss compiled recent well test data (since 2019) from Robeson, Hoke, and Scotland counties. This updated data is informing study recruitment. The 21EH program is co-led by CEC leader Dr. Kathleen Gray and RETCC co-lead Dr. Ilona Jaspers. Boss presented his work at a summer undergraduate research symposium on July 24, 2024—his first research presentation. He found higher concentrations of arsenic in monitoring wells at Scotland County Construction and Demolition Landfill than in private drinking water wells in the surrounding area.
“Going into it I was very nervous, but I got a lot of positive response,” said Boss. “I realized even being relatively new to this work, I can use the communication skills I’ve been developing to share information in ways that people can understand.”
Residents with wells in the Robeson study area who are interested in participating can get more information and register on the Well Empowered webpage.