SILT, Colo.—State and local officials are investigating whether a pipeline that leaked wastewater from natural gas drilling has contaminated a water well in western Colorado.
The Glenwood Springs Post Independent reports that two landowners say water from a pipeline owned by the Bill Barret Corp. drained on their property near Silt. The line carries water that comes out of the ground after it’s used in drilling and hydraulic fracturing, which injects substances underground to force open cracks to free the gas.
State regulators say the leak was reported and crews were sent to fix the pipe. They are awaiting test results to see if a nearby water well has been contaminated.
Scott Donato of Bill Barrett says the company’s tests haven’t turned up any contamination.
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Information from: Post Independent,
