Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations Gasland Reaction A reaction to the documentary “Gasland” by Josh Fox from the State of Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations Two types: BIOGENICTHERMOGENIC Rotting of organic material. From bacteria. Heating of deep buried organic material. From drilling.

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations By looking at the isotopes (type of elements) of the methane the type of methane can be determined. BIOGENICTHERMOGENIC Has few other gasses with it. Found in shallow coal beds. Mixed with other gasses. Found in deep rock layers.

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations Mike Markham Biogenic natural gas

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations Renee McClure Biogenic natural gas

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations Aimee Ellsworth Mix of Biogenic and Thermogenic natural gas From natural gas drilling. Settlement reached.

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations Markham and McClure water wells drilled into the Laramine-Fox Hills Aquifer which contains layers of coal. Contained no other gasses (benzene, toulene, etc.).

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations “Methane-rich gas commonly occurs in ground water in the Denver basin…” Report from the USGS

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations West Divide Creek

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations West Divide Creek Two separate seeps Lisa Bracken Nine samples taken from 2004 to Seep contains biogenic methane. Other seep was thermogenic and found to be from a defective gas well. The drilling company, EnCana, was fined $464,000.

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations … some parts of the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer allow hydrogen sulfide and methane gasses to exist in the aquifer. When these gasses are present in sufficient concentrations, water pumped from the aquifer may effervesce, have a putrid odor, and be of marginal value for many uses. When water that contains large concentrations of dissolved iron is pumped from a well … the dissolved iron … is visible as a black to reddish-brown precipitate, which clouds and discolors the water … GROUND WATER ATLAS of the UNITED STATES Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations The COGCC tested 28 wells in the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer in the spring of 2009 that covered 170 miles 2. None of the wells contained thermogenic methane.

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations The COGCC tested 28 wells in the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer in the spring of 2009 that covered 170 miles 2. None of the wells contained thermogenic methane.

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations Rules 903, 904, 906 impose enhanced requirements for pit permitting, lining, monitoring, and secondary containment to ensure that pit fluids, including hydraulic fracturing flowback, do not leak. Regulations to keep drilling safe: Rule 205 requires operators to inventory chemicals, including fracturing fluids, and to provide this information upon request to the COGCC and certain health care professionals Rule 317 requires cement bond logs to confirm that aquifers are protected Rule 317B imposes mandatory setbacks and enhanced environmental precautions on oil and gas development occurring near public drinking water sources Rule 341 requires well pressures to be monitored during hydraulic fracturing Rule 608 mandates additional pressure testing and water well sampling for coalbed methane wells

Background Weld County Wells West Divide Creek Seeps Well Testing Regulations