COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—El Paso County and state regulators have reached a compromise on requirements for water testing at oil and gas wells.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reported Wednesday ( ) the compromise requires testing of two wells within a half-mile of an oil or gas well before drilling and again a year later.
El Paso County commissioners approved the compromise Tuesday. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will vote on the agreement on Nov. 15.
The county approved tougher rules in January but softened them after the state attorney general’s office threatened a lawsuit. The Oil and Gas Commission’s current rules didn’t require water testing.
Diana May, a senior assistant county attorney, says new statewide rules for water testing may be established next year and would supersede the El Paso County compromise.
———
Information from: The Gazette,
