Boulder County is objecting to the inclusion of a new, alternative drilling site proposed by Denver-based Crestone Peak Resources in formal comments sent Friday to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
The site, north of Colo. 52, was offered in case the state commission rejects Crestone’s original and preferred plan to locate 56 wells on two pads on Wheeler open space, an area whose flooding risk was recently upgraded in a process initiated by Boulder County.
Crestone contends that the re-designation of the land from floodplain to floodway — the latter distinguished by the deeper, more quickly flowing waters — was a move to halt drilling in the area. The county denies that, saying in its comments that it has raised flooding concerns since the beginning of the state process last year.
“Contrary to Crestone’s assertions,” county officials wrote, “the County has been telling Crestone and (the commission) for over a year that the best available floodway information … demonstrates that the entire 56-well pad …. on the Wheeler Open Space is within the floodway.”
Crestone is now on its fifth draft of its drilling plan. The company has characterized the plan as final, and it is tentatively scheduled for a September hearing before the commission, pending its director’s recommendation July 19.
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