Navigating Community-Engaged Research to Understand How Drought Affects Water Quality
Nicholas Stoll1, Francesca Macaluso1, Christine Canaly2
1Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health.
Journal of Environmental Health
|March 20, 2026
Summary
Community-engaged research (CEnR) in environmental health analyzes groundwater for heavy metals affected by drought. Key strategies for successful large-scale CEnR include adaptive recruitment, efficient onboarding, and transparent results reporting.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Community-Engaged Research (CEnR)
- Climate Change Impacts
Background:
- Community-engaged research (CEnR) is increasingly vital in environmental health studies.
- Climate change-induced drought poses risks to regional water quality.
- Analyzing private groundwater wells for contaminants is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline lessons learned and project management strategies for large-scale environmental CEnR.
- To detail the facilitation of a CEnR project analyzing groundwater quality for heavy metals.
- To share insights on managing collaborative environmental science initiatives.
Main Methods:
- Implemented diverse recruitment strategies: direct mail, listservs, social media, local leaders, and newspaper coverage.
- Standardized participant onboarding for process efficiency.
- Utilized external data sources to contextualize well data and open-source tools for results reporting.
Main Results:
- Recruitment methods adapted to overcome obstacles, enhancing community participation.
- Participant onboarding was streamlined for efficiency.
- Data analysis integrated external sources, and results were communicated effectively using open-source tools.
Conclusions:
- Scalability, robust project management, and bidirectional community involvement are critical for successful environmental CEnR.
- Accountability and transparent communication are essential themes in facilitating community-engaged environmental science.
- Effective strategies for recruitment, onboarding, and reporting are vital for large-scale CEnR projects.
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