A Lesser-Known Side-Effect of Natural Gas Drilling…Flammable Tap Water?
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Though natural gas is being touted by some—including energy magnate T. Boone Pickens—as the future of clean energy, it’s not without its drawbacks. Take, for instance, this video shot in a home in Weld County, Colorado, in the Fort Lupton area, in which gas-contaminated tap water is set ablaze by the strike of a match. According to residents, companies searching for gas in the area have somehow caused a leak which has lead to the contamination of the local water supply.
One resident explains that when her husband informed her that the tap water was flammable, “I felt like everything I knew changed in that moment. My dream home became a nightmare.” Since then, she and her husband have started drinking only bottled water and showering with the lights off—apparently to avoid setting themselves ablaze.
While the local news has reported that residents in Lupton are “living in fear,” it’s unclear how serious the problem actually is. So far, no illnesses or deaths have been connected to the gas leak, though there has been a marked increase in amateur parlor tricks.
According to Infrastructurist, communities from Montana and Texas have been similarly affected by corporate drilling for natural gas. Communities in the eastern US sitting atop the massive Marcellus Shale formation, which stretches from upstate New York down to West Virginia, may also expect their lives—and water mains—to be disrupted. So continues the debate over natural gas, as Americans must decide between the benefits of lower carbon emissions and the downsides of flammable drinking water.
As Domestic Gas Drilling Takes Off, Controversy Erupts in NY | HeatingOil.com says: says:
[...] also the little fact that its extraction can release methane into water supplies, leading to flammable tap water—an admittedly rare, but scary (and very photogenic!) side effect of gas [...]
Rosalie Everson says: says:
Michael:
My information mainly came from a long-time resident, former fireman who told me about this. If you would like to speak with him, and can send me a private email address, I will be happy to send you more information!
By the way, the Trib doesn’t always get things right!
admin says: says:
Sean: Thanks for the comment and for pointing us to the COGCC’s statement. David Neslin did say that the COGCC had examined the wells in a half-mile radius around the home of one affected resident, Amee Ellsworth, and concluded that the wells were not the source of the gas. One of the owners of the wells, Noble Energy Inc., appears to be your employer. Your closeness to the issues may render you a less-than-objective observer; the evidence does not seem as clear cut as you present it. According to the Greeley Tribune and the minutes of the COGCC’s July 2009 meeting, no one—not the COGCC or the energy companies that owned the wells—could say what the source of the gas was. Neslin mentioned naturally occurring methane, but said, “I don’t know that we solved the mystery.” The Tribune said further studies would be needed.
But the problem isn’t limited to Weld County. A report by Garfield County, Colorado found that “gas drilling has degraded water in dozens of water wells,” according to the Denver Post. And the documentary, Water Under Attack, that provided the basis of the article at Infrastructurist, linked to in the above article, finds water problems in Texas and Wyoming, and residents consider natural gas activity in the area to blame.
Michael Hoven says: says:
Rosalie: thank you for the clarification. Our information comes from news sources like the one you mention, and we passed on their misattribution. The residents affected by contaminated water are not residents of Fort Lupton, they are residents of Weld County. The article has been changed to reflect the usage of the Greeley Tribune. I’m glad to hear your town has taken measures to ensure Fort Lupton residents have clean and safe drinking water.
I haven’t, though, seen any information that the phenomenon of flammable tap water has been going on for decades. Weld County residents in the news say that flammable tap water is a new development, and that it coincides with increased natural gas production in the area. If you can point us to some new evidence or information, please do so.
Sean Howley says: says:
Unfortunately the author of this post failed to do much research into the subject. If they had, they would have quickly found that Director David Neslin of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC - the commission charged with enforcing Colorado’s strict drilling rules), announced that the oil and natural gas wells in the area were, “not the source of the gas.” In fact tests by both the companies operating in the area, and the COGCC found that nearby wells were not the sources of the gas. Director Neslin did mention, however, that there is a history of naturally occurring methane in groundwater in the county.
Sean Howley
Rosalie Everson says: says:
Every time this ‘new’ story comes out the site of the flammable water is reported as IN Fort Lupton. It is NOT IN Fort Lupton, it is 8 miles to the east, in Weld County and the water is from private wells. Fort Lupton has paid a fortune to acquire good mountain water through a water district that also services other communities such as Greeley. They get the same water as the other communities. None of the water consumed by Fort Lupton residents comes from wells, it is piped in from mountain sources before going through their state-of-the art water treatment plant. Please correct to reflect the truth, the residents IN Fort Lupton are not shaking in their shoes over this because they have no need to, or at least they weren’t until the inflamatory and inaccurate
was “broken” by FOX news, which didn’t realize that this actually is not all that uncommon, nor has it been unheard of for decades.