EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been corrected to show the correct name of The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission.
AURORA | Hundreds of people turned out Thursday for a public meeting about a controversial oil project just outside southeast Aurora, most of them critical of the proposal, citing various environmental, health and public safety concerns.
The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission held a public meeting Thursday evening at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds to solicit public comment on the Lowry Ranch oil and gas project, near the Aurora Reservoir.
Civitas Resources, a Denver based energy company, submitted a proposal for this project in 2022. According to the state Energy and Carbon Management Commission, this development would involve 166 new wells across hundreds of acres in the region, some on public lands. The new oil and gas locations would be located east of Monaghan Road.
The fracking project has faced resistance from a wide range of area residents and environmentalists, citing its proximity to the Aurora Reservoir and Lowry Landfill Superfund Site. Arapahoe County Commissioners last year narrowly turned down a county hiatus on granting oil-and-gas applications while the county reviewed its permitting process.
Since then, the project has been amended to preclude fracking and drilling beneath the Superfund site.
“After careful consideration of the EPA’s concerns and the existing environmental contamination at this Site, Civitas is committing to not penetrating the subsurface under the Superfund Site by limiting the horizontal bores of the State Sneffels wells to approximately 2.25 miles, in order to avoid the Site,” Civitas engineer Dan Harrington said in a letter to county, federal and state officials. “This precaution is not due to any risk associated with oil and natural gas development, but a desire to protect the Superfund remedy that is in place and operating effectively.”
Members of Save The Aurora Reservoir, which has been most vocal in opposition to the drilling project, say they are unconvinced the amended plan still doesn’t pose undo risk to local drinking water, air and other parts of the community.
Engineers say that because drilling and racking would occur about 7,000 feet below the surface, groundwater and surface communities will be unaffected.
According to the state gas energy commission, the two closest residences to proposed wells are both located less than a mile away from proposed drilling and fracking sites. The closest residence would be 1,955 feet away, and the second closest residence is 2,705 feet away.
State officials say the owners and residents of those properties have already signed the informed consent letters.
Arapahoe County requires that the proposed well bores will be drilled more than a mile, below the surface and “ staff does not expect any impacts to buildings located above the horizontal wellbores.”
Last year, county commissioners were split on their support and opposition to the proposal.
Commissioner Bill Holen, who voted against the 2023 moratorium, said then he believed in the need for society to back away from its reliance on fossil fuels.
“But it cannot be accomplished overnight,” he said. “We cannot snap our fingers and all of the sudden everybody has some form of alternative energy. … We’re going to be dependent on gas and oil for the next couple of decades. It’s a reality.”
Among the many public speakers opposing the project last week was Madhvi Chittoor, a 13-year-old girl and environmental activist. Chittoor said that she was at the meeting because her rights for “clean air, clean water…are at jeopardy,” and that she is speaking on behalf of other children who couldn’t be at the meeting.
“As our commissioners, you have the power to protect our basic wetlands, air, water and soil. So please exercise that power and support the people and not the oil and gas industry,” Chittoor said.
Aurora resident Hashim Coates, who is also campaigning to represent southeast Aurora as a county commissioner, also spoke against the project, raising concerns about how the development would affect the local wildlife.
Many parents whose children attend nearby schools, such as Altitude Elementary School and Pine Ridge Elementary School in the Cherry Creek School District, spoke about how the development would affect their children’s health. Some parents said that their children already suffer from asthma, and said that the development could make it worse.
Cherry Creek spokesperson Lauren Snell said that the district will “continue to monitor this project as it moves through the state and county approval process.” She added that the school district does not have any influence on this process.
Save the Aurora Reservoir members insist state and local officials turn back the project or at least require drilling and fracking occur farther from the reservoir and existing communities.
“We’re not billion-dollar people here,” Arapahoe County resident Molly Jacobs said to the commission, “Most of us probably aren’t millionaires. So it’s up to you to protect us.”
The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission will have another meeting on June 26 where they will take additional public comment.
I agree with Save The Aurora Reservoir group. They use millions of gallons of water, pump cancer causing chemicals into the ground saying don’t worry it will never affect the air, ground and water quality. Then companies sell the oil and gas to other countries and when it starts to not be profitable they abandoned the wells and file for bankruptcy leaving their mess behind for tax payers to clean up. If you do a search we have abandoned wells all over the country. We have tap water in peoples homes you can stick a match to and it catches on fire! Oil and gas companies will lie thru their teeth to get what they want. Just wondering has the Corp of Engineers done a study of the site, your article didn’t mention one had been done?
Please follow https://www.savetheaurorareservoir.org/. Get involved! Spread the word! Support the efforts!
Why? Can’t these greedy outfits leave anything alone?
Our Arapahoe County Commissioners need to do the right thing. Listen to your constituents, to concerned parents and to homeowners, just listen. Civitas doesn’t have our best interest in the mix, just the almighty dollar $$$. Don’t we care about air and water quality, wildlife, nature, or our health at all? Come on Commissioners, we are counting on you to protect us from Civitas
Completely support Save The Aurora Reservoir group! How dumb of officials to think drilling under and next to the City of Aurora drinking water reservoir is safe. Ridiculous. Even elementary schoolers understand the horrific situation that could arise. No to fracking at the Aurora Reservoir!!!
When the drill goes down to a target depth and turns horizontal, how do we know if it stays inside the given perimeter or not?
There are measurements made at the bottom of the drill string that give a continuous inclination and azimuth. These are monitored at surface, and if they indicate the drill is not pointing in the correct direction, it is steered back on to the proper course. This is monitored by personnel 24/7 until the well is finished drilling. Post job, a 3d map is made showing the location of the wellbore. These data are reported to the state and are available to the public.
Has everybody forgotten when fracking was going on years ago around strasburg and people were lighting their water on fire? Even the fracking companies won’t drink their own fracking fluid that they claim is harmless to the environment when they were presented with the opportunity… Not safe for the environment not safe for animals or people or air or ground or ground water, it’s excessive. Not sure how this is still being allowed in densely populated areas. Nothing no statistics that they come up with are to be counted as factual or good enough to prevent harmful irreparable damage in their drilling process. They just pack up their bags and leave after they find nothing, they offer money to people that they drill underneath their properties, again not millionaires, so it’s luring people into agreeing to this drilling process when they don’t disclose everything like the chemicals used or the risks associated or the irreparable damage to the land water air etc for years to come. This should be opposed and not allowed. Our property value is at risk, the aquifer is at risk, of course among the many other environmental damage risks being considered too, this is disgusting. Please block this drilling effort.
One significant point of contention on this matter is that no postings have been made nor notifications about this meeting. Citizens in this area are not being properly informed about this matter. Arapahoe county has failed in this, and one cannot count on Civitas to be the voice of the people. Or was this meeting just a token attempt to appease the masses? The deal has already been laid and played. We should be outraged at this development in our environment.
Do the citizens recall the devastation at Rocky flats? The earthquakes? The draws behind? People! Wake up!
Just say NO for a change. They do not need more money and we truly do not need more fracking, drilling, and carbon pollution.
People in the area MUST get informed. Being ignorant and ignoring the project will NOT make it go away. As an active member of STAR we are doing all we can to get the public informed but there are only so many of us and we don’t have unlimited funds like the operator appears to. Please join us on Facebook and go to the website: https://savetheaurorareservoir.co. Thank you
Randall, I just came on here to leave the website address for STAR! What a great acronym. All the members of your group are stars and thank you for organizing and trying to get the word out on this project. People, PLEASE go to the website and join with the other stars of Aurora. It’s FREE! Please join the fight. BTW the comments on the story are absolutely great. I have hope for Aurora.
As many have stated, our government is SUPPOSED to protect their constituents. The oil and gas commission stating the owners and residents of those properties have already signed the informed consent letters is a not true. The oil and gas company is proceeding with a percentage of consents – many were ‘bullied’; told their were no options; many still have not signed; and others believe they’ll make money or support the oil companies.
One of the largest percentages is provided by the Lowrey Ranch. The mineral rights for the Lowry range are owned by the state land board and Denver International Airport, owned by the city of Denver. What stipulations and percent of the ranch are set for this lease? Was the stewardship review redone for this CAP? How often are the leases for the Stewardship review by the state board to ensure the directives are maintained; natural values of beauty, open space, wildlife habitat, rare plants, geologic features and/or paleontological and historic features? Again is our government protecting the constituents and our environment?
A fracking site can utilize more water than an entire city yet our cities are under water restrictions during the summer months and our water is a finite resource. Over 3.6 million gallons of water are needed per fracture. Because of the cost to truck water in from further away, companies prefer to use water from sources as close to the well as possible, which can result in significant impacts on local waterways and overburden local water treatment facilities. Where is the water coming from? Will this impact our water supply directly or indirectly? Where will the contaminated water be dumped? Will it be injected somewhere in the state? What studies accompany the decisions or has this been stated explicitly by the oil and gas company? Where will the waste water be stored before transport? Has this been determine by our officials, will they protect the water and disposal for the state?
The studies and other drilling locations tell a different story than the oil and gas companies are telling everyone as is outlined by comments. There are hundreds of questions still remaining relating to monitoring, testing, impacts to health and environment. As many have stated, the people of the state are not funded like those that own the oil and gas companies. Our officials were elected, city or state, to represent the people. Who is making money off these agreements?
Thank you for covering this. I was at the meeting and it was an impressive turnout especially given the short timeline that was given to get the word out to the community. There is absolutely no reason that these fracking wells need to be so close to homes or near the Aurora reservoir. Spills happen all over the state on a regular basis. Last year alone there were over 1000 spills in the state of Colorado. There will absolutely be spills. They also want to drill under our homes and the reservoir. It would be better if they didn’t Frack at all but if they have to they should just drill out east and stay away from the high population areas. Enough is enough!
Thank you for covering this story. The Lowry CAP is wanton environmental degradation. Drilling oil next to a water source and near a SuperFund site defies logic. I agree with one of the speakers at the meeting who was amazed that the permitting process had gotten this far.
I can see the point of those that oppose the fracking process near their homes. However, it is interesting that both a Superfund site and a large landfill, a mountain of garbage, exists in the immediate vicinity of their homes as well. This doesn’t appear to concern new homeowners in the area, including the rather expensive homes that surround the reservoir. This has always confused me and seems an odd contrast to the opposition to the fracking process.
So now, let’s pray or cry and pray!
And all in the hands of eight people now…
“The mission of the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) is to regulate the development and production of the natural resources of oil and gas, deep geothermal resources, the capture and sequestration of carbon, and the underground storage of natural gas in a manner that protects public health, safety, welfare, the environment and wildlife resources.”
THIS is about how close fracking is going to be to planned neighborhoods with thousands and thousands of people, families with children and elderly, etc. Nobody wants this: https://lnkd.in/gFr3UAeJ?
The technology is cleaner but not clean, and when you have 166 wells, imagine a forest of metal sticks coming out of the ground in a small area, affecting the air quality and soil 24/7, killing wildlife, and making unbearable noise you can hear, especially at night. I wish I could see trees there instead.
For those who don’t live here, you have yet to learn what this area looks like. It is flat, with dry grass, no obstacles, no sound barriers, and no natural fire protection.
Not long ago, the grass fires near Boulder took the whole neighborhood with the wind within hours. People lost everything and those who didn’t have problems insuring their homes. Can this area be next?
The proximity to the Superfund is another issue. The nearby landfill is not just a pile of garbage; it is an extremely toxic pile of waste, solid and liquid combined, being remediated now for many years. It’s on EPA’s list as a Superfund, but most people don’t know what that means. What concerns many, including engineers, oil and gas industry consultants, and other professionals, is that the unpredictable seismic activity possibly triggered by fracking can jeopardize the quality of water in the reservoir located near the Superfund (https://lnkd.in/gpezpgrE); the water may become toxic.
The Aurora Reservoir isn’t just a nice recreational area; it’s also a source of drinking water for all the surrounding neighborhoods. I wish I had recorded this, but not a long time ago, I watched a report in 90 Minutes or a Dateline. An unexpected fuel leak happened in a military neighborhood. People weren’t aware of the water toxicity and were using it normally. Many got sick. I saw a little girl wearing a belt, shaking her, just like the one children with celiac disease must wear to stay alive. She developed permanent lung damage and now must use the belt every day to be able to breathe. Heartbreaking for any mother to see and imagine experiencing it.
Yes, we all love greenery, wildlife, flowers, and bees, which should be protected, too, and this is also about that, but if one thinks this fight is only about that, it’s not…
Lethem drill while being carefully monitored.
Have the oil company place funds in an interest-bearing account so that if the oil company goes bankrupt,he funds will pay for restoration.
What about the risk of irreversible damages that no money can fix…