Thank you for The Daily Sentinel’s coverage of the oil and gas waste pit spills in the Parachute Creek drainage. We now know of at least five separate oil and gas related incidents in the Parachute Creek drainage leading to degradation of water quality and fish habitat.

These spills also have the potential to be a substantial public health risk. Parachute Creek is relied upon by many different users, including the town of Parachute. Only three of the five incidents were reported to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, as required by law.

The commission files indicate 1,000 spills in the last three years. Applying the ratio of 3:5 reported to actual spills in Parachute Creek, this gives us reason to believe that the actual number of spills is closer to 1665.

What is the affect to the waters of our state? The reality is that we do not know because under current rules the gas companies are not required to release the names of the chemicals that are in the waste pits. We know the pits contain industrial fluids that are the byproduct of the drilling process. Many of these chemicals are known to be unsafe in drinking water or for use as irrigation water.

It is for this reason the state needs stronger protections for our rivers and streams. The current situation in Parachute Creek demonstrates the need for better waste-pit construction standards and storm-water management, public disclosure of chemicals used in the drilling process and increased oversight of the oil and gas industry. Even in the gas patch, clean water is our most valuable resource.

LIZ CHANDLER, President
Grand Valley Citizens Alliance
New Castle

This entry was posted on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 9:39 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.