2018 - According to ECMC (the State O&G agency), the well stopped functioning
September 20, 2023 - As part of P&A, spill first detected; First Town of Erie Notification (see below)
September 29, 2023 - First Official Update (see below)
October 2, 2023 - Planned Rig Demobilization (did not happen)
Mid-October, 2023 - Reclamation and Reseeding To Be Completed (did not happen)
November 21, 2023- Form 19 ("24 Hour Notice"; document can be accessed in link through the "Doc" tab) filed by Civitas to the State ECMC; In the File 19 (which included soil sample photos as part of the File 19 documentation), during the P&A: "... facility decommissioning activities, audio, visual, and olfactory measures indicated a potential historical release". It was noted that the Town of Erie was notified on November 21, 2023 via phone call.
November 27 & 28, 2023 - First Official Announcement of Spill Impact - Noted in ECMC documentation and confirmed by Town of Erie that approximately 87 cubic yards of contaminated soil (90-120 tons of soil) was removed; Per Town of Erie communication with neighbors, this was "not a small spill"
February 5, 2024 - Sound/Light walls installed and road access completed, Rig removed; Additional testing performed required by State
Mid-February-End of March, 2024 - Reclamation and Reseeding To Be Completed (did not happen completely)
March 6, 2024 - Statement of types of toxic substances found at site (see below for list of substances); Update stated that Civitas was uncertain of when spill occurred in the past and for how long the toxic substances have been onsite; Amount of toxic chemicals far exceeded levels for residential areas. From the link in the update, the date of the testing actually shows November 2023, indicating that the Town knew about these results for approximately 3 months, but did not alert the residents. Testing for remaining substances TBD; Additional remediation needs to occur, per State ECMC.
Here is a link from the CDC to a summary of the health impacts of the toxic substances found at the site:
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/clusters/fallon/glossary-voc.pdf
Early March 2024 - Civitas was told by Town of Erie to submit Stormwater Impact Permit, but the Town allowed Civitas to proceed with plugging the well without Stormwater Impact Permit. Permit was received by Civitas on March 18, 2024.
Mid-March, 2024 - No signs or fencing to keep neighbors out of site, even though update stated: "the release and subsequent contamination is of great concern and requires significant work to remedy"
April 1, 2024 - Update from Town of Erie states that the leak was discovered in late November 2023. This is not true. The P&A Operations to plug the well started on September 21, 2023 with subsequent detection of the detection of the leak as evidenced by the removal of large amounts of contaminated soil prior to Civitas filing the required Form 19 with the State on November 21, 2023. According to the Form 19 (which included soil sample photos as part of the Form 19 documentation), during the P&A: "... facility decommissioning activities, audio, visual, and olfactory measures indicated a potential historical release". This recent update indicates that additional excavation is necessary due to the size and scope of the leak and its impact on the soil, and that "the release and subsequent contamination is of great concern and requires significant work to remedy".
April 11, 2024 - Second round of excavation to begin, pending Town approval (per Civitas personal email communication from Rich Coolidge); As of 4/11/24, no direct and formal communication has gone out to the neighborhood from Civitas, the Town of Erie, or the Canyon Creek HOA regarding the excavation.
April 24, 2024 - Anticipated completion time of the second round of excavation
Mid-May, 2024 - Work on site will be concluded by Civitas - TBD
July 30, 2024 - Completed Remediation - TBD
November 17, 2025 - Final Site Reclamation - TBD
Town Updates and Notifications with timestamps provided below
In late November 2023, the discovery of a release/contamination was reported at the Erie 1-24 well. This well is located within Erie limits, west of Meller Street and north of Erie Parkway in the Canyon Creek neighborhood. The release and contamination was found during decommissioning and plugging of the well by Crestone Peak Resources/Civitas. Contaminated soils near the well have been excavated and removed from the well head area, though further excavation is expected once site conditions dry out this spring.
There is no on-going leak and no indication of groundwater contamination at this time. In the last week or so, a flyer has been created and posted in some neighborhoods about a leak. This flyer is not official communication from the Town of Erie and we want to ensure residents have access to the latest, official information. Since the spill was a release at an unknown time in the past and discovered during decommissioning of the well in November, it cannot be known precisely what was spilled or exactly when.
The documents that were filed about the spill indicate that it was some combination of exploration/production waste, produced water, crude oil, and/or condensate. Soil sampling results indicate the presence of the following compounds in excess of state regulatory concentrations for soils in residential neighborhoods: benzene, ethylbenzene, xylene, naphthalene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, & total volatile petroleum hydrocarbons (of gasoline, diesel, and organic ranges of composition).
For Crestone Peak Resources/Civitas to complete remediation of the Erie 1-24 well location, additional excavation will be necessary. However, this work - as well as final site grading and seeding - needed to wait until a Stormwater Permit was approved by the Town of Erie The operator just submitted their permit request last week. It will likely be a few weeks before they commence additional excavation and sampling to confirm all contaminated materials are properly removed from the site. Notice will be sent to the HOA of Canyon Creek at least one week prior to site activities.
After excavation, confirmation sample analysis will begin (typically a ~5-week turnaround from the lab), and assuming no additional excavation is necessary, final reclamation of the site can begin. The reclamation will include earth work to contour the land and achieve original “grade/contour” of the lands, removing any road base, importing necessary topsoil, discing/ripping the ground, and seeding all disturbed area to achieve necessary re-vegetation utilizing a Town-approved mix of native grasses and forbs. Assuming no major delays or unexpected issues arise, Civitas is estimating that work on the site will be concluded by mid/late May. Civitas has compensated the Town for the removal of two trees north of the location to accommodate rig access, and the Town Forester will oversee their replacement once work at the site is concluded.
The Town of Erie would like to repeat again that there is no on-going leak and previous excavations have been backfilled to ensure there is no potential exposure to wildlife or members of the public. While the release and subsequent contamination is of great concern and requires significant work to remedy, there is no current danger to nearby residents, natural resources, or the public at large, and there is no indication to date that ground or surface waters have been impacted. Town and State staff will work diligently throughout the remediation and reclamation process to ensure the operator is held accountable and that the site is fully restored.
Finally, Town staff have been coordinating with the Canyon Creek HOA to ensure public safety during the upcoming operations. These efforts include requiring fencing and signage to prevent unauthorized egress into the site once work resumes, closing of sidewalks while equipment is being moved on or off the location, and requiring notice before commencement of operations.
To complete remediation of the Erie 1-24 well location, located west of Meller St and north of Erie Parkway in the Canyon Creek neighborhood, additional excavation will be necessary; however, this work as well as final site grading and seeding must wait until a Stormwater Permit is in place with the Town of Erie. Once Civitas has received the necessary permit, they may commence additional excavation and sampling to confirm all contaminated materials are properly removed from the site. Once confirmation sample analysis is received (typically a ~5-week turnaround from the lab), and assuming no additional excavation is necessary, final reclamation can begin. The reclamation will include earth work to contour the land and achieve original “grade/contour” of the lands, removing any road base, importing necessary topsoil, discing/ripping the ground, and seeding all disturbed area to achieve necessary re-vegetation utilizing a Town-approved mix of native grasses and forbs. Assuming no major delays or unexpected issues arise, Civitas is estimating that work on the site will be concluded by mid-May 2024. Civitas has compensated the Town for the removal of two trees north of the location to accommodate rig access, and the Town Forester will oversee their replacement once work at the site is concluded.
There is no on-going leak and previous excavations have been backfilled to ensure there is no potential exposure to wildlife or members of the public. While the release and subsequent contamination is of great concern and requires significant work to remedy, there is no current danger to nearby residents, natural resources, or the public at large, and there is no indication to date that ground or surface waters have been impacted. Town and State staff will work diligently throughout the remediation and reclamation process to ensure the site is fully restored.
Finally, Town staff have been coordinating with the Canyon Creek HOA to ensure public safety during the upcoming operations. These efforts include requiring fencing and signage to prevent unauthorized egress into the site, closing of sidewalks while equipment is being moved on or off the location, and requiring 48-hour notice before commencement of operations.
The Town of Erie is providing the following update of the Erie 1-24 well, located within Erie limits, west of Weld Meller St. and north of Erie Parkway in the Canyon Creek neighborhood. Crestone Peak Resources has filed documentation providing some information about a historic spill/release discovered during decommissioning of the location. Contaminated soils have been excavated and removed from the site, and confirmation samples (to determine if additional excavation is required) were collected and submitted to the state for site reclamation approval. There is no indication of groundwater contamination at this time. Erie staff inspected the site on March 5, 2024, and found the excavations to have been backfilled and no on-going issues or violation were noted. Once the state gives approval that the site has been cleaned to regulatory standards and local stormwater and other permits are obtained, final grading and seeding to restore the site to a natural condition will commence (currently estimated dates of completed remediation is provided as July 30, 2024 and final site reclamation by Nov. 17, 2025 by Crestone Peak). Additional reports are to be submitted to Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) quarterly.
Since the spill was a release at some point in the past and discovered during decommissioning of the well, it cannot be known precisely what was spilled or when. The filed documents on the spill indicate that it was some combination of exploration/production waste, produced water, crude oil, and/or condensate. Soil sampling results indicate the presence of the following compounds in excess of state regulatory concentrations for soils in residential neighborhoods: benzene, ethylbenzene, xylene, naphthalene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, & total volatile petroleum hydrocarbons (of gasoline, diesel, and organic ranges of composition).
A full report, including analytical results, maps of sample locations, and field photos is available via this link.
From the February Environmental Services monthly report to the Town Council: Civitas should never have been allowed to proceed with the P&A (well plugging) without the stormwater permit from the town: "The workover rig and other equipment had been mobilized under an ECMC Form 4 Sundry Notice (which requires a 48 hour notice) without requiring the necessary Stormwater Permit. The oversight was brought to their attention, and after internal deliberation, Erie staff decided to allow them to proceed with the critical elements of the work (plugging the well and removal of equipment) without the necessary permits to avoid lengthy delays."
The Town of Erie received an update regarding plugging and abandonment operations by Crestone Peak/Civitas Resources of the Erie 1-24 well, located within Erie limits, west of Weld Meller St. and north of Erie Parkway in the Canyon Creek neighborhood.
Temporary sound/light walls and access road preparation is anticipated this week, prior to workover rig mobilization the week of Feb. 5. The operator will be re-entering the well to perform additional PA operations as required by ECMC, and are hopeful that re-entry operations will be complete in approximately 10-14 days.
Normal operating hours for work on location will be restricted to daylight hours on weekdays, except in occurrences of safety concern. Deliveries and any heavy traffic will be scheduled between 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.. Final reclamation and seeding are now expected to be completed approximately mid-February through the end of March.
Additional information is available by contacting Civitas’ Stakeholder Relations Team at 720-279-9842 or communityrelations@civiresources.com.
More:
Visit the Town of Erie interactive Oil and Gas Sites map (most compatible on a desktop)
Questions and comments can be sent to erieoilandgas@erieco.gov
View archive of Oil and Gas notifications
The Town of Erie was notified of a historic spill/release at the Erie 1-24 well location, located within Erie limits west of Meller Street and north of Erie Parkway in the Canyon Creek neighborhood, discovered during decommissioning of the location. Confirmation samples were collected and submitted for analysis; lab results are pending.
The size and nature of the release are not currently known with excavation and assessment activities ongoing.
Additional information is available by contacting Civitas’ Stakeholder Relations Team at 303-293-9100 or communityrelations@civiresources.com.
More:
Visit the Town of Erie interactive Oil and Gas Sites map (most compatible on a desktop)
Questions and comments can be sent to erieoilandgas@erieco.gov
View archive of Oil and Gas notifications
The Town of Erie received an update regarding plugging and abandonment operations currently underway by Crestone Peak/Civitas Resources of the Erie 1-24 Well, located within Erie limits, west of Meller Street and north of Erie Parkway in the Canyon Creek neighborhood.
Normal operating hours for work on location will be 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekdays. Deliveries and any heavy traffic will be scheduled between 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (to avoid any pre- or post-school traffic) whenever possible. The rig is planned to be demobilized Monday, Oct. 2.
Additional operations and flowline removal are expected to end in mid-October with final reclamation and seeding expected to be complete by mid-December.
Additional information is available by contacting Civitas’ Stakeholder Relations Team at 303-293-9100 or communityrelations@civiresources.com.
The Town of Erie received notice from the Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) regarding planned plugging and abandonment operations by Crestone Peak/Civitas Resources involving a workover rig of the Erie 1-24 well. The well is located within Erie limits, west of Meller Street and north of Erie Parkway in the Canyon Creek neighborhood.
Work will include deploying sound/light barriers and temporary fencing, earthwork to level the area, and access road preparation followed by plugging/abandonment operations for the well and removal of flowlines and associated equipment. Operations are scheduled to occur from 9:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. on weekdays only to minimize disturbance to Canyon Creek residents.
Operations are scheduled to begin Sept. 21 and are expected to end in mid-October with final reclamation and seeding expected to be complete by mid-December.
Additional information is available by contacting Civitas’ Stakeholder Relations Team at 303-293-9100 or communityrelations@civiresources.com.