Hydraulic fracturing implicated in another incident of groundwater contamination in Colorado

In June, 2010, the day hydraulic fracturing began on a nearby well in southern Colorado's Las Animas County, landowner Tracy Dahl checked his cistern and found approximately 500 gallons of grayish brown murky water where water had previously run clear for years. The Dahls have extensive water testing documentation going back many years, verifying that their water has always been clean and clear.  They were told by Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (“COGCC”) staff that the water could not be tested for chemicals in the hydraulic fracturing fluid because there is insufficient information about the chemicals used. During the drilling of the well in question, two different employees of the operator, on separate occasions, told the Dahls that they were having trouble with the cement job.  Three monitor wells on the ranch are now producing methane at an escalating rate.