At CSU’s Natural Gas Symposium, Anadarko’s Chris Castilian touted lucrative opportunities for jobs and community revenue created by industry’s growing presence in Colorado Front Range towns. Castilian said Anadarko’s drilling “show[s] up in communities that never thought they’d have oil and gas in their backyards,” and in order to exploit those resources, “[Anadarko is] going to be spilling into a lot of these communities.” Castilian’s attempt to invoke enthusiasm for new drilling operations in Loveland couldn’t have more accurately described Anadarko’s track record.
Castilian pointed to Weld County as an example of Anadarko’s success. He didn’t, however, include the fallout from industrial drilling operations. Anadarko subsidiary Kerr-McGee spilled the carcinogenic chemical benzene [The Denver Post, 9/13/11], resulting in concentrations of the chemical that exceeded state standards by as much as 320 times. The spills contaminated groundwater, and in one case, a local irrigation ditch.
In Wyoming, Anadarko spilled more than 31,000 barrels of oily water and crude oil in several towns across the state. The spillages occurred between 2003 and 2008, causing contamination in local water sources for five years. [Associated Press, 5/8/09]
Oil and gas development can result in concentrated levels of methane and other chemicals that contaminate groundwater. An investigation done by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission showed that the amount of methane in one home was enough to “collect inside the house and explode.”
Studies done by the EPA in Pavillion, Wyoming show contaminated groundwater contained benzene, arsenic, methane gas and other hydrocarbons as a result of fracking operations in the area. The contaminated water left residents experiencing sickness, including nerve damage.
Before Anadarko spills into any more communities, it must adequately find a way to drill wells without putting water and health in jeopardy.