DENVER—State officials will test an abandoned gas well and test more operating wells in south Weld County where methane has been found in a water well and the family’s tap water has caught fire.
Tests of the well water and eight natural gas wells within a half-mile of the home have been done since last fall. Dave Neslin, acting director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, said Monday that the source of the gas in Amee Ellsworth’s water well hasn’t been found yet.
Neslin said the commission, which oversees the oil and gas industry, hasn’t determined whether the gas is naturally occurring or from gas production in the area.
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Noble Energy Inc., which own the wells near Ellsworth’s Fort Lupton-area home, have also tested the wells, including whether there are structural problems, and haven’t found where the gas is coming from.
The next step is to expand the investigation by looking at gas wells a half-mile to a mile from the Ellsworths’ house.
Neslin said he companies are supplying the Ellsworths with water and are considering installing a water treatment system for them.
The Ellsworths first noticed problems with the water last fall. They went public with their plight earlier this month when Denver TV stations showed video of their tap water catching fire when a lighter was held nearby.
Neslin said his office is investigating the concerns of 10 other Weld County families worried about their water. About 40 people attended a meeting organized Friday by the oil and gas commission, state health officials and the county to discuss the concerns.
State health officials have said the levels of methane gas in the water aren’t high enough to cause health problems.
Neslin said there is a history of naturally occurring methane in groundwater in Weld County.
Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway complained during the meeting Friday that he and the other commissioners learned about the gas in the water from media reports and questioned why the state didn’t contact the county.
Neslin said Monday that the oil and gas commission talked to county officials over the last two weeks and worked with them to set up last week’s meeting. He said the state receives dozens of complaints yearly from people who believe there’s natural gas in their water well. Neslin said state officials typically work with homeowners and energy companies to identify the problem.
