By Andrew Schenkel
September 30, 2011
by Checks And Balances Project
The West Divide Creek Study is often mentioned as one of the clearest examples of chemicals from hydraulic fracturing wells making their way into local waterways. At the time Dr. Thyne was both a professor at the prestigious Colorado School of Mines and the county geologist for Garfield County, Colorado. He was asked to do the study after residents noticed gas bubbles popping up in the West Divide Creek.
The study aimed to find the cause of the bubbles, and the findings suggested a connection to the hydraulic fracturing taking place in the area. “The conclusion of the study was that there was a possibility that it was from deeper sources from the drilling activities. That combined with the fact that we were seeing very high chloride levels was found to be significant,” said Thyne when Schenkel interviewed him in early 2011. When Schenkel asked him why that was significant Thyne replied,
“The water found in these hydrocarbons) used in fracturing) is often very...
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Hydraulic fracturing was directly implicated in the 2004 massive gas blowout, and is noted as such in the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission's own hearing document. The one and only time that I am aware of in the US that this occurred. Such disclosures are now much more carefully managed.
ReplyDeleteA moratorium went in place for a short while then, under industry pressure, was lifted and drilling resumed.
Another massive seep erupted in 2008 in association with new drilling on the same pad found responsible for the 2004 event (the Schwartz). Yet, the COGCC has failed in very large measure to investigate that issue, choosing instead to attempt to publicly discredit my observations (documented on my website at www.journeyoftheforsaken.com click 2008 seep), and permit EnCana to drill directly into the hydrogeology which is still seeping with benezene and other toxic compounds into the shallow groundwater of West Divide Creek yet remains unexplained.
Dr. Thyne attempted to clarify the hydro-geologic conditions involved in the seeps, but Garfield County failed to follow up on his recommendations; the COGCC together with representatives from the industry, publicly refuted and attacked his findings in a COGCC hearing, and the EPA? They are no where to be seen, which suggests a skewed interest in examining fracked areas where fracking and ground water contamination may not be so glaring and therefore much easier to ignore and label as 'safe'.
If people want to know the truth about fracking, they need to insist the EPA include West Divide Creek in its new hydraulic fracturing study. There is much here to learn. But even if they don’t, once the seep is drilled, the industry itself will demonstrate all over again exactly why hydraulic fracturing is to be feared.