Extreme floods

Colorado and industry working to assess damage in flooded oil fields

Colorado's richest oil field — the Denver-Julesburg Basin — is buried in floodwaters, raising operational and environmental concerns, as state and industry officials work to get a handle on the problem.

Denver Post,

16 September, 2013

Thousands of wells and operating sites have been affected — some remain in rushing waters, officials said.

"The scale is unprecedented," said Mike King, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. "We will have to deal with environmental contamination from whatever source."

Any pollution from oil fields likely will be mixed with a stew of agricultural pesticides, sewage, gasoline from service stations and other contaminants, King said.

"As far as we know, all wells affected by flooding have been shut," said Tisha Schuller, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, a trade group.

The basin, one of the most promising onshore oil plays, has been the target of an estimated $4 billion of oil industry investment, with about 48 rigs operating when the flood hit.

Companies are using boats and helicopters to check sites not accessible by road, Schuller said.

"As water levels recede, operators are assessing any damage and addressing it," she said.

The major public health risks will come from contaminated water and sediments, said Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, a Natural Resources Defense Council staff scientist.

"The aim is to find where there may be significant pollutants and where they are heading," said Rotkin-Ellman, who studied industrial contamination in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is setting up a clearinghouse to log the status of every well and operation, said Matt Lepore, the commission's executive director.

The commission also is using its mapping technology to identify well sites along the South Platte River for inspection.

"Mapping is a really good first step — it locates where the problem could be," said NRDC's Rotkin-Ellman.

The commission is forming teams — including inspectors, engineers and environmental specialists — to focus on locations north and south of the South Platte.

Still, the specter of pollution has raised concerns among environmentalist and community groups.

"With the Texas Gulf Coast, they know in advance a hurricane is coming," said Irene Fortune, a retired chemist who worked for British Petroleum and is now running the Loveland City Council.

"To have something this inland, this level of flooding in an area with high oil and gas development, it's new territory," Fortune said.

Gary Wockner, executive director of Save Our Colorado, said, "Every flooded well needs to get inspected.

"The COGCC needs to pass new regulations for drilling in floodplains to better protect people and the environment."

There are more than 20,000 wells in the DJ-Basin and surrounding areas and 3,200 permits for open pits in Weld County, according to state data.

A review of the pit permits, however, found a significant number are old permits that may not be operating — most were to hold produced water that contains salts and metals from wells.

Major operators in the basin said they were able to shut all the wells hit by the flood.

Encana Oil & Gas (USA) has shut about one-third of its 1,241 wells, the company said.

"We have plans in place to inspect all of our facilities," Doug Hock, an Encana spokesman, said in an e-mail. "We're using (geographic information systems) to help prioritize lower-lying facilities that may likely have greater impacts."

Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the second-largest operator in the basin, shut wells and stopped drilling activity.

"The majority of our drilling, completions and workover activities in the affected areas of the field have been shut down," the company said on its website.

"Restarting the activities is expected to be significantly delayed due to road and location conditions," the company said.

The well sites are designed to withstand harsh weather, said William Fleckenstein, a professor of petroleum engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.

"The actual wells are meant to hold pressure on the inside. They're designed to be fluid-tight," Fleckenstein said.

Concern arises when tanks are knocked over or damaged, Fleckenstein said.

The "worst-case scenario," however, would be damage to a high-pressure gas line, which would leak hydrocarbons in the air and be "very explosive," Fleckenstein said.

The impact of the flood waters has been uneven in the basin, said the oil and gas association's Schuller. Some areas are untouched, and some facilities are still surrounded by flowing water, Schuller said.

"It may take some operations a week to get back up," Schuller said. "It may take a year for others."

Pictures of flooded well and drilling sites and damaged or floating tanks have been appearing on several social-media sites.

"We've seen the pictures but don't know the locations," Schuller said. "If people provide the locations, we will check them."

Floods prompt oil and gas concerns

KUSA - Social media is swamped with suggestions that the news media is covering up an environmental disaster in Northern Colorado.

9 News,

16 September, 2013

Claims on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites suggest that fracking fluid and other chemicals are contaminating the environment as floods overtake oil and gas wells in Weld County.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Association [COGA] says its members began shutting in wells Wednesday night, pausing production until the storm passed.

COGA pushed back on the claims about fracking.

"There's no fracking operations happening at this time," Tisha Schuller, COGA's President said. "In the 30 year life of a well, fracking occurs in less than a day on the well site. And so to the best of our knowledge there's no fracking going on - and no on site chemicals that have been affected by this incident."

"They're [COGA] full of it," Carl Erickson, with Weld Air & Water, said. "They're [COGA] saying what I would expect them to say: 'Don't worry. Be happy. Nothing's happening that's going to hurt you.'"

"Most of the photos that are circulating on social media were given to us without a location," Schuller said. "So we are asking any concerned citizens to send us pictures at info@coga.org with a location.

Schuller promises to provide concerned citizens with a comprehensive response.

"We don't know what those tanks were," Schuller said. "We don't know if they were associated with oil and gas."

Erickson is convinced that some of the storage tanks seen do contain oil products.

"Once they start floating and leave their moorings, that stuff's going to get into the water," Erickson said.

"The oil is the problem because it's stored in those tanks. And I don't know when the last time somebody emptied those was. That oil is going to go somewhere. Then we're going to end up with a huge environmental problem which we're going to share with everybody down river."

As flood waters recede, COGA plans to return to well sites for assessment.

"We'll be addressing anything that comes up," Schuller assured. "We're going to be here for the next week, the next month and the next decade."

Doug Flanders, COGA's Director of Policy, said that if there is a spill, the operator is required to report it to the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC).

Flanders said that in the event of a spill, once COGA learns which chemicals are involved, it will disclose that information to emergency workers.

Floods Hit 50 Navajo Nation 

Chapters Across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah this Week




Native News Network,

16 Spetember, 2013




Since Monday, nearly 50 chapters have called for assistance in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Chinle was hardest hit by the floods as 22 people had to be evacuated from their homes. The floods continued downstream to Many Farms and Rock Point where another 40 people were either evacuated or rescued. In Tonalea, Arizona, officials reported that 20 homes were damaged due to flooding.

Most of the flash flooding happens after short bursts of intense rain.

“I want our people to know we are working with several different agencies to ensure that our people are safe and their basic needs are met,”

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly said, In an attempt to calm concerns.

"Though we are thankful for the rain we have received, I want our people to know that the Navajo Nation programs and departments are responding to calls regarding flash flooding. Please be careful and don't drive or cross flooded roadways. We want everyone to make through the rains safely," President Shelly said.

President Shelly has been getting regular updates about flooded communities throughout the week.

“We need everyone to exercise caution and be alert to their surroundings. Though it might not be raining in your area, it can be raining in areas upstream,”

said Navajo Department of Emergency Management Director Rose Whitehair.

Whitehair added that it is difficult to predict what areas would experience flash flooding since most of the flooding happens after short bursts of intense rain.

“And with the long term drought, the ground is hard so there is nowhere for the water to go,”

Whitehair said.

County and state emergency departments have all been coordinating efforts with the Navajo Department of Emergency Management along with the Red Cross, the Hopi Tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

"I want to thank all the first responders and agencies for working together. I know you are all working hard but remember the work you are doing is for the good of all the people in need. We are a strong nation and we will endure through these difficult times," President Shelly said.

Since July nearly 60 chapters have reported to the Navajo Department of Emergency seeking assistance for damages occurred as a result of flooding. Issues have been from road washouts, road closures, rescue operations, shelter for flood victims and road clearing.

President Shelly signed a declaration of emergency in August regarding the flooding and plans are to update the declaration for recent flood events.

Navajo Department of Emergency Management and chapters are working according to a declaration of emergency that President Shelly signed in August.

For those unfamiliar with the Navajo Nation, a chapter is a unit of local government most similar to townships found in most midwestern and northeastern states of the US and Canadian provinces.





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