Channel: Education
Uploaded: August 7, 2008 at 3:37 am
Author: DivideWatch
Length: 02:54
Rating: N/A
Views: 28
In this clip from April 02, 2004, you'll see characteristics of the seep as gas vigorously expresses to the surface. Also, Blackcloud demonstrates combustibility of the gas and shows an area of wetland seeping near the "main seep" area. The bank near where he is standing is not orange with iron-reducing bacteria. It will soon be, however, as hydrocarbons from production formation gas make their way up through the ground as a result of improper drilling practices. With the iron-reducing bacteria, biofilm will also appear. This area clears up significantly after the Schwartz well is remediated. But, along with the new seep found June 28, 2008, these banks became overrun again with iron-reducing bacteria.This area is not being remediated, and the seep continues to this day. Across the creek some remediation efforts have been put in place -- namely, an underground sparge system designed to curtain the migration of hydrocarbons with air bubbles helping to volatilize the invading gas. Clips of some of the earlier attempts at remediation are here on YouTube.In April, 2004, this region was the focus of a massive natural gas well blow-out that released an estimated (and acknowledged) 115 million cubic feet of natural gas into the environment. EnCana Oil and Gas, USA was found by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to have been responsible for this devastating event. Despite that and despite that the seep is ongoing, and despite us have found a new seep on June 28, 2008, the COGCC continues to allow drilling of this extremely fragile area by the same operator who caused the seep in 2004. And, as of this post (08-06-08) the COGCC (same supervisor in charge of that and this investigation) continues to minimize the full scope of the new seep through a failure to fully investigate. They will not even test the ground water which we drink.EnCana stands to make 6 billion from drilling and fracing this area, and the absence of inquiry helps ensure they get to keep on pursuing it without adequate protection for the environment or the people who live here.To follow the course of natural gas development and its impacts to this very special place in Colorado, visit journeyoftheforsaken.comAll videos are best viewed with Quicktime, which you can download free online.[This video was filmed 04-02-04 -- two days after the seep was originally discovered in West Divide Creek]