Oil and gas producers in Colorado reported a seven percent decrease in the number of drilling-related spills in 2024, as compared to 2023, from 415 to 385. Oil production in Colorado was slightly up in 2024 compared to 2023. 

These spills have real-world consequences. For example, a spill that occurred in La Plata County in December 2024 released approximately 23,000 gallons of gasoline from an underground pipeline. This spill impacted both soil and groundwater and occurred on land within the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s reservation.

Colorado allows operators to report spill volumes in ranges, in addition to, or in place of, exact volumes. This makes it hard to compare the total volume of liquid spilled year to year, since these totals are minimums. We do know that at least 436,000 gallons of drilling-related liquid spilled in Colorado in 2024. 

Oil and produced water are the main liquids involved in drilling-related spills. A single spill can contain both substances, in addition to other liquids like condensate and flowback fluid. Produced water was spilled at least 260 times in 2024, while oil was spilled at least 167 times, according to operator reports. Over 30 percent of spills that involved either produced water and/or oil did not include volume data.

Of the 385 reported spills in 2024, over 50 percent occurred in Weld County, which has had the highest percentage of spills in the state each year since at least 2015. These spills impacted people and animals, with at least 30 occurring within 500 feet of a water well. The number could be higher, as around 20 percent of reported spills were missing information on their proximity to a water well. Similarly, at least 44 spills occurred within 500 feet of an occupied building, but only around 60 percent of reported spills included information on their proximity to an occupied building. Finally, at least 71 spills occurred within 500 feet of surface water, but around 20 percent of all spills were missing information on their proximity to surface water.  

Caerus Piceance reported 53 spills, the most of any operator in 2024. Kerr McGee followed close behind with 50. Notably, PDC Energy reported a 60 percent jump in the number of spills it was responsible for in 2024, from 20 to 32. Because Colorado regulators allow operators to report spill volumes in ranges instead of exact values, it’s not possible to calculate the company with the largest percent increase in spill volume year to year, which is why we used the total number of spills, rather than volume spilled, to determine the top five spillers in the state.

A few notes about the data

Colorado allows operators to use a range to report volume data, therefore the volume estimates in this report are minimums. Since spill data is self-reported by the oil and gas companies responsible for the spills, the true number of spills and volume of spilled material in Colorado could be much higher than those included in this report. Finally, the methodology used to calculate this year’s report differs from that of past years’ reports. Therefore, data from this year’s report should not be used in combination with data from prior years. Similarly, data should not be compared across states, as reporting requirements and processes differ state to state. Data for this report was pulled from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources website on April 4, 2025.