I. More Notes On Maurice Strong, Robber Baron, and SLV Water and Gas (Feb. 12, 2008)
Epiqraph Quote:
Governments are the playthings of the elite.
Dr. Rauni Kilde, Former Chief Medical Officer of Northern Finland, 30 year tortured “targeted individual,” murdered in 2015, author of “Bright Light on Black Shadows”
Rio Earth Summit (1992; with Maurice Strong as UN Secretary General for Rio Summit) is part of long term process towards a world in which nation states have withered away in favour of supranational and global institutions. It was billed as a global negotiation to reconcile the need for environmental protection with need for economic growth.
Real agenda of Rio Earth Summit is the Global Governance Agenda:
– Shift of national regulatory powers to vast regional authorities.
– Opening of all remaining closed national economies to multinational interests.
– Strengthening the decision making structures far above and far below the grasp of new national democracies.
Part of “green washing” is to focus attention on far-away problems like climate change, global ozone depletion, die-off of species in distant rainforests, etc. And you simultaneously ignore the real environmental problems in your local area- pollution of air and water, etc.
“People I spoke to seemed to worry more about things beyond their governor’s control than about what was being dumped in their own sewers.”
How do you make them hand over power to supranational institutions they cannot affect, control, or remove? You terrify them with the grave dangers national governments cannot protect them from.
Maurice Strong Bio (high school dropout with only 11th grade education)
– Trustee of Rockefeller Foundation
– A Director of International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in Switzerland
– Director and VP of World Wide Fund for Nature in Switzerland
– A Director of Beijer Institute of the Swedish Academy of Sciences
– The Aspen Institute,
– the Bretton Woods Committee of Washington, D.C.
– Worked with YMCA,
– the Vatican’s Society for Development, Justice and Peace,
– the North/South Institute,
– the Club of Rome,
– the Interaction Policy Board,
– Chair of World Economic Forum.
– Member of Royal Society of Great Britain,
– Royal Society of Canada,
– member of U.N. Environment Program’s Global 500 in 1987,
– member Century Club,
– member of Yale Club
– He created CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)- an agent of the Crown- he used this organization to gather intelligence, and used spin off corporations as a private front for federal govt. skullduggery (operations) in Africa and Canada.
– Chairman of the board of Canada’s International Development Research Centre, IDRC.
– Set up Canada’s national petroleum company, Petro-Canada.
– Chaired the Canada Development Investment Corp.
– Undersecretary General of UN and Sec. Gen. of UN Stockholm conference on the Human Environment
– First director of the U.N. Energy Program,
– Ran African Emergency for the UN Development Program,
– Member Bruntland Commission.
– Strong’s staff drafted the Earth Charter and Agenda 21.
– Said to work with British MI6 intelligence.
– Protégé of Rockefellers, including David, Laurance, and Nelson.
– Started his own company, MF Strong Management,
– Ajax Petroleum
– President of Power Corporation,
In 1977- While Strong was chairman of Petro-Canada and IDRC, he caused Stronat to invest in the agribusiness in the US. Scott Spangler ran ProChemCo. He wanted to take over AZL or Arizona-Colorado Land And Cattle Company, AZL, conglomerate that owned other company’s active in feed lots, land, oil and gas, engineering, a commodities trading house, a bank and one of its ranches was Baca Grande of Colorado.
– Stronat, purchased control of ProChemCo. and changed its name to Procor. Procor in turn bought an AZL convertible debenture worth $10 million. Strong was invited onto AZL boards before this deal was closed and without owning any shares. He became chairman of the Executive Committee. Strong said AZL wanted him and rolled out the red carpet for him because they needed to try to keep Adnan Khassoggi off the board. Khasshoggi was the biggest shareholder in AZL since 1974. With Kashoggi’s help AZL had done a number of deals in Iraq, Egypt, and Sudan, often acting through the heads of state of those countries.
(Kashoggie was famous arms and guns dealer/rep. of Saudi Arabia-relationships with various intelligence agencies.)
– Strong started International Energy Development Corp, S.A., IEDC.
AZL did buy Procor to form a global version of Power Corporation.
Strong became chairman of Sogener, a Swiss Company, and this took over AZL.
– In 1982, Strong appointed VP of Canada Development Corporation (CDC).
– In 1985, Strong’s First Colorado Corporation bought the Baca Grande ranch and other AZL real estate and oil and gas assets. His First Colorado Corporation bought the 139,000 acre ranch in 1985 for $8.2 million. He hoped to sell water from the aquifer for billions.
– Member World Commission on Environment and development.
Strong: “I’ve said for years the world needs a world system of governance…
– Manitou Foundation- was originally financed by $100,000 from Laurance Rockefeller and $20,000 from Robert O. Anderson, former head of ARCO. It received $1.2 million from the sale of Strong’s shares of AWDI. And later it got $21,500 from the charity set up to support Strong’s (Rio Earth) Summit office.
II. Webmaster notes on Local Water and Gas Issues:
Add Theo Colborn- Our Stolen Future.
Add something on legal piece.
Duke Cox- Grand Valley Citizen’s Alliance website.
Hooper, Mosca, Saguache town councils, Conejos County, San Luis Valley Water District, Division of Wildlife, US Bureau of Rec.,
Native Americans- Jose Lucero, Santa Clara pueblo-organized Rio Grande Cultural Conference in 2003.
Phillip Encoa-
Colorado Field Institute
Oil and Gas Accountability Project-
Theo Colborn- (11/10/07) gas industry maintains “we use only water, soap and guar gum” 200 by 700’ open evaporation pits, fracing creates mini earthquakes, 1 million gallons of fluid used for each “shot” or “frac”- can take 36 hours- pump down into ground, fracing tanks NOx, VOCs, fugitive methanes,
Gas processing plant uses lubridcants, foamers, blasting. Gas comes up wet. Light-bulb dehydrator picks up water. Methane comes up with B-tex volatile chemicals, diesel burns dirty gas, they flare at night, VOC’s= NOx = ozone and smog (here called haze). Sets you up for asthma.
Exposure routes of toxic chemicals =- water, air, and soil, major die-off of aspen on Roan plateau.
Endocrinedisruption.org, earthworksaction.org/oilandgas.cfm, wccongress.org (Western Colorado Congress).
Potable water is being used to drill. Then we add contaminated water from underground to surface. In evaporation ponds and seeps, blowouts,
Garfield Co. went from 640to 40 to 10 acre spacing of wells www.naturalgas.org
28 fracs on a well pad, all within 1000’ are mini-explosives, major accidents.
Get Conoco-Philllips to bond,
County officials can permit compressor stations, water treatment ponds, and have authority over roads and pipelines.
Fracturing fluids are exempt from clean water Act. They don’t tell you what’s in these these fluids. Virtually no inspectors.
Flowback of produced water, condensate, and fracking fluids,
www.oil_gas.state,
flames 200’ high.
Great Sand Dunes is B1 site- irreplaceable. There are 30 of these in Colorado. BNWR has lots of B-2 and B-3 sites.
On federal lands there is a no surface occupancy opportunity. Rights of surface owners supercede those of subsurface owners.
In Jan. 2007, US produced 2.1 tcf- this was 2 weeks of consumption.
Battle between mineral estate and surface estate. Can you put a price on the the value of the surface estate? It is worth infinitely more than the minerals under the ground. This is a profit issue.
HB 1291 and 1252, 1541 passed in Colorado. Due to pressure from grass roots groups.
Role of Halliburton- would subcontract with Conoco-Philips to do fracing process.
There are no statutory regs by state for gas/oil industry to pay for damage to the aquifers.
About 80 80,000 lb. trucks will be needed just to bring in one big drill rig.
Otero Mesa NM- moratorium until management plan on F-W.
Friends of the Wildlife Refuge.
Management Plan takes 2-3 years.
Source Water Supply Plan (2000-2005)- elevation of water for next 50 years. No extra water here. Round Tables- agriculture Community and subdistricting.
Colorado Water Conservation Board. Allen Getz- more reservoirs in the valley.
1974 study shows 2 billion acre feet, with 140 million acre feet is recoverable- 10x more than Otero Mesa.
Lu Pei of Enron, bought Taylor Ranch in San Luis Valley (later Zapata Ranch- probably sold to Bush family as Zapata is a name associated with Bush endeavors.)
2050- climatologists project of 30% less snowpack.
Laurance Rockefeller invested $6 billion here.
Amy Moll of NRDC
Connect to Arctic national Wildlife Refuge.
Water- change of use- point of diversion, water application, 100% consumption, who has industrial water?
Where will the water be dumpted? Need to protect local interests.
Names- Friends of SLV National Wildlife Refuge- Tim Armstrong- Biology Prof. TAARMSTRO@adams.edu.
Aurielle:
Concern for how BNWR has calledmeetings- obviously coordinating with Lexam but not with us. Chose date too soon, no proper notification prodcess, has to be in newspaper, not acting in good faith. Aug 8 to 17 not enough. Our community was not involved in planning process. Extremely unreasonable.
Usual and customary notification means notification in the local newspaper. NEPA requires effective notification. This is not effective.
What agreements had been reached before this action was taken?
Value at well-head of 1tcf is $5.9 billion.
But 1 tcf would produce 151 million tons of CO2-in Europe they would be taxed $1.7 B for this amount.
Colorado has very low rate of severance tax-
400 1.5 MW wind machines could produce same amount of energy (at 25% efficiency) or 250 1.5 MW wind mills at 40% efficiency.
Lexam’s money will be exported out of the Valley. Lexam should pay for infrastructure that they are ruining and expanding. What share of profits does county get?
Archaeo- people camp near water- lots of artificats,
Closed loop system will still dig a pit- and they will evaporate as much water as possible. (consumptive use).
Oil and gas does not fit with the historical use of our water- 1 million gal/well- 3 acre feet need a a point diversion. Change of use State Div. Water- Craig cotton. Water dist. 3.
Dept of Interior F&W is not a multiple use proposition. The mission is F&W to provide habitat for F&W.
We can’t have access to refuge until management plan but Lexam can. And it’s public land.
Rio Grande Compact has to be honored. According to Gov. Richardson. Richardson stopped Otero Mesa and Valle Vidal and Gallisteo Basin.
Impact- social upheaval- impact on schools, emergency services,
Colorado Public Health and Human Service
Colorado Environmental Coalition- Elise Jones- 303-534-7006, 7404- 405-6704.
County has watershed protections.
Jim Donaldson- Lexam got mineral rights in this area in 1987. Found hydrocarbons in 2 deep wells drilled in 1995. Lexam paid $1 million from water rights from AWDI and another one million from GaryBoyce.
Claims it will take 75-90 days, will take 130-200 barrels of water a day to drill (1 barrell is 42 gallons). Tax bill to Saguache Co. is $16,000. They don’t own water rights and will have to buy it.
Towers will be 130’ high-
COGCC permitted 5400 in 2006. 30,000 active wells in state, 70,000 have been drilled- so 40,000 are plugged and abandoned.
Will do water quality baseline studies.
Drilling fluids = water and bentonite clay.
www.oil_gas.state.co.us
Eric Harmon did study of confined water .. state requirements for noise level = 80 decibels/day, 70 decibels at night.
For ongoing production 50 dc/day, 45 decibles/night.
Reclamation bonding $5000 for each well. For seismic- $25,000.
Peggy Utesch information about Silt Rifle area:
After fracking, total dissolved solids went off the scale, iron-eating bacteria, 17 water wells were wrecked- along a fault line- gas is coming up through the ground.
West Divide Gas Seep- EnCana fined $370,000.
Potential for surface contamination. Ag. Water= mostly confined aquifer, drinking water- mostly surface aquifer. No lined ponds, haul off fluids, don’t want a waste pit- it poisons birds. Our water and san is less than 1 mile awayu from well and upgradient.
We need potentiametric surface to determine direction of water flow. Look at Boyce map!!!
What town is down-gradient from drilling.
Local governments are extremely corrupt.
Ground-level ozone is emitted by drilling at every pad. Requires permit to exceed air quality standards. Ozone is heavier than air and sinks to low lying areas- goat herds dying. (1/2 of goat kids are still-born- in rocky Mountain News. 2004 Colo. Bill limits ozone coming off of condenstate tanks. EPA says this is main cause of asthma.
Colorado Air Quality Coalition.
Kevin Williams Western Organization of Resource Councils- Montrose, CO 970-323-6849.
Worc.org reports available.
Tweety Blancett- NM- 505-334-1200.
10 acre pads. Hunter Mesa- industrial park.
Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action
Wilderness Society (Assoc. Director) Steve Smith- Glenwood Springs, 970-945-4490 (fax- 8596)
Dehydrator- to separate gas from condensate- (includes volitle carcinogenic)
Industry should pay for roads, haz-mat response, extra schools,
Berms would help mitigate- duster drilling- 1 pad/square mile, 32-64 wells.
Costs about !1 to 15. Million to drillwell and they get over 10 times that much.
All impacts to roads have to be paid for by industry.
Proplyne glycol- antifreeze fatal for animals. Used on well pads.
90% of what people want to see was already in rules and regs.
Pulled employees off inspection and put them on permitting.
Western Organization of Resource Councils-
They get subsidy for using “newtechnology’ of fracing fluids, check energy bill of 2004. What else could they find- molybdenum, soda, ash, coal?
Good guys.
Mayor of Rifle- Keith Lambert- 970-625-5122.
Allen Lambert- Rifle city council- dividecreek@sopris.net 970-625-9550.
Rick Aluise- town planner ofSilt- 970-876-2353.
Western governors Assoc. www.westgov.org
8 best practices for oil and gas.
Center for the American West- UC boulder
Best practices
www.centerwest.org
www.ogap.or
www.worc.org
Coalition for the Valle Vidal-
Colorado Dept. of Public Health- Air, Water Quality control
Robin Cooley – 303-871-6939 rcooley@law.du.edu
We want details of land agreement, purchase agreement, mineral agreement- Robin Cooley planned to FOIA purchase agreement- are there any docs that we want to FOIA.
“compatible use”- voice concern of “undue influence” by Lexam. If Lexam is paying for EA, it is probably a done deal.
Need letters to editors of all regional papers. Deluge- state and fed agencies.
Can BNWR say no to Lexam? Work through water court and COGCC. Report on “declaratory judgement”-
Call state hydrologist-
Water attorney.
Discharge of pollutants on navigable waters. Clean Water Act protects commercial.
The Nature Conservancy- Charles Bedord, TNC, 1997, Lexam got min. rights before they leased it from Fallaron, Lexam leased mr from Newhall Farming Co. until 1997. Deal closed when TNC bouth Baca Ranch in 1998.
Challenge “no significant impact’ ruling.
sLVC Public Lands Center.
Diane Geesee BLM and Rio Grande national Forest-
New Colorado Legislature- Bills- 1298- House Bill. 1341 COGCC. Now 9 members. Someone from Div. of Wildlife. Need 640 acre spacing of wells.
NEPA and clean Water Act still apply.
1985- 1984-93- 12 wells drilled in in San Juan Sag- Hydrocarbons found in Oligocene sill in San Juan Sag- 55 barrelsof oil found, plugged and abandoned.
BLM $2 over the counter lease fee. SLV 38 wells drilled between 1915 and 199. 7 are federal.
99.5% of BLM land available for leasing.
2 prospects- 27 square miles- Crestone W.and E Prospects. Tops of structural traps are 9,000’ down- pulled oil out of Precambrian granite. Basement rock at 14 to 15 k feet. 1972 Mining Act says subsurface rights are superior to surface rights.
Have to clean up condensate- gas processing plant to put gas on national grid-
At depth- water will be above boiling- at 6500’ 130 degrees C. 3000’ well casing. Pressure is greater as you go down. So in lower 11,000’ uncased water will rise through aquitards- probably 30 aquifers in the 14,000’
Gwen of OGAP- San Juan Citizen’s Alliance
La Plata Co. has seen 22% decline in property values
Elsewhere about 30% decline in prop. Values.
20 acre spacing.
Compressor station- 24/7 so loud it’s like a jet. Also wells very loud. Danger to kids and livestock. Pits often unfenced and unlined, danger to wildlife of drinking polluted water, pit liners often rip and tear and the fluids leak, methane robs the air of oxygen – gives off H2S.
Concrete casing loses its integrity after about 20 years. They become sieves and contaminate the groundwater. Methane contaminates water. If old wells are not properly plugged and abandoned.
Colorado adopted strongest noise rule.
Colorado has strongest landowner Bills- colo- wildlife Protection Bill.
Energy Colonies- WY, CO, NM, San Juan Basin, landowners should share in royalties.
NO-GO campaign.
House Bill 1341- health protection. When pit liners are folded over you have “toxic burritos”- some pits are bull-dozed- some fluids are trucked off the site.
Oil and Gas won’t disclose what’s in the water- Materials Safety Data Sheets.
171 products, 245 chemicals used in drilling- 91% have health effects- of these 35% are endocrine disrupters. (people and wildlife)
B-tex- Benzene Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene, methane diesel fuel, H2S, metals (arsenic, barium, chromium, lead, mercury, PAH’s, = laundry list of chemical warfare
VOC’s every chemical considered proprietary. How much fluid is being recovered.
Water is considered a waste product of oil and gas exploration.
Would likely use fracturing fluids through Dakota SS.
Surface owner has ability to get input and can impose “reasonable alternatives”- what is “reasonable use” for access and development of mineral estate.
How and when were minerals rights purchased? Can we we get a copy of the document itself?
Every question we ask and we issue we raise- NEPA says they have to look at all of them. USFWS needs to understand Crestone’s cultural values. What is local culture?
NEPA is “action forcing process”- requiring public participation-
The EA is used when there are no unique and exceptional circumstances-. Can use EA when you are uncertain. But BNWR is a unique and exceptional circumstance.
EA can’t be justified. Need full EIS- full protection of federal law-
This place is significant, unique,
Lexam has never operated an oil and gas well.
Scoping comments- include every question- what is purpose and need? when- bigger and better prospect is west of NWR.
Alternative- Drill the West first and the East second.
Talk about infrastructure for gas marketing- transportation routes, emergency cres, gas pipelines, oil spills, truck crashes, cumulative impacts- synergistic look,
Our sense of place is more important than their profits.
EIS will evaluate “reasonable use” at the surfaced and the larger plan for how infrastructure should be built.
High risk 14,000’ well in middle of BNWR is unreasonable threat to water in the SLV.
Cynical “public be damned” attitude of industry. Get our concerns in early and often.
Gov. has right of “eminent domain” therefore some room for them to say no.
Land out of time comment” they are going for the best places first, if they can get in there, there is nothing anywhere that they can’t get in.” Part of coordination with Cheney’s Energy Task Force?
Carol Metcalfe- Water Resources- Div. Asst to Head of in Wash- groundwater Geologisst.
On political side- large moves to secure water and border.
Sante Fe- Gallisteo Basin- unlikely there is oil and gas- Richardson has gotten 6 month moratorium,
American Indian Science and Engineering Society.
National Congress of American Indians
All Indian Pueblo Council
Native American Grave and Repatriation Act.
Gov. Richardson’s committee of Indian Affairs, Sante Fe.
Edward Warren (northern Pueblos)
Jose Garcia- All Indian Pueblo Council, San Juan Pueblo.
Everett Chavez, chairman of all 19 pueblos.
Council of Energy Resource Tribes- David Lester
National Indian Education Association
Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District
High Country News- Paionia call Ryan Foster,
Western Slope Alliance
Give him a 2-3 page boil down.
Show proof of oil with drill rigs!!!
Single most sacred place in Indian religion in Am SW. Frank Waters – Book of the Hopi.
Council of Energy Resources, Committee of Indian Affairs, David Lester-
Natural Heritage Sites,
Problem of contaminating headwaters of Rio Grande. By drilling. Designate entire valley as a Nat. Heritage site.
Ask Governor Ritter- does he want the best aquifer in the west contaminated by oil and gas?
Mike Machette- USGS –
San Luis Hills- date to 30 to 21 my. Serietta Basalt flows 4.8 to 3.7 ma. After 3.7 Ma , this basalt blocked south-flowing drainage- now lake is restricted to Alamosa sub-basin. It was another 3.5 My until it overflowed.
Lake Alamosa named by Siebenthal (1910)-
Also possibly an earlier lake at 5 Ma.
La Jara Graben, Culebra Graben, Castilla sub-basin.
In 3.5 Ma- Lake Alamosa was 3 times bigger than Lake Powell, it overflowed after 450 ka. Shoreline was 7650’. So lake was 150 to 200 ‘ deep. Extended from Mineral Hot Springs to La Jara- and Blanca to Monte Vista. (62 by 25 miles or 100km2). 3 times size of modern Lake Powell. Lake Bonneville was 4000 km2. 51,000 km2- 210 x 300 km.
Full glacial was about 10 degrees colder than present- O18 stage 12 was lake high point- also most extensive glaciation in Midwest- deep lakes occurred during OIStages 18, 14, 12, shallow lakes at 17 and 11.
Blue clay formed at lake bottom-hydrologists model is that there are 5 layers of blue clay, more like 30 layers.
Shorelines, spits, lagoons, barrier islands found in San Luis Hills- on Saddleback Mt. area- there are upper and lower spits- two lake levels – upper spit has 1 m thick Stage III calcic horizon in basalt gravel. Helium dating for shorelines- 440 ka.
Barrier islands block and create a series of lagoons near NE San Luis Hills.
Lava flows from Taos flowed north and provide the divide between the Closed Basin and Rio Grande Basin- the blue clay is all over – it appears and disappears.
In terms of oil and gas wells, most exploration wells were dug in the 70’s and 80’s. confined aquifer is 10 to 15 k’. Laramide Orogeny 80 to 50 my. San Juan Mt.s 35 to 25 my. Serrietta Basalt- 5 to 3.5 Ma.
Dave Fidelerman, Brian Rodriguez,
Lexam aeromagnetic study and EM survey (Vintage Survey) was flown in 1993,
Comments on hydrology and physical geography factors:
Tds (total dissolved solids) in confined aquifer increase dramatically at 2200’ depth
Small amount of oil discovered at Del Norte, potential source and host rock for oil and gas at 8000’
With Pat McDermitt- Colo. Div. Water Resources-
From Aber:
Most of valley depth to gw is less than12 feet.
Blue clay layer is 10 to 1000’ deep. Under BNWR and Baca community it ranges from greater than 100 to greater than 130’ depth. On GSDunes NP- it ranges from greater than 100 to greater than 180’ depth.
Unconfined aquifer- in sand,silt, clay and gravel,- in upper 200 feet- flows up to 3000 gpm
Confined aquifer- from 50 to 15,000’ deep. Unconsolidated sediment is interlayered with volcanic strata. flows up to 4000 gpm- artesian pressure, 2 billion acre feet.
Excessive use of surface water has led to water logging of soils in many parts of valley- water-logged soils have become alkaline,and gw has become mineralized from concentration of salts.
To honor terms of SLV Compact- water is “salvaged” from 170 high-capacity wells in the unconfined aquifer and delivered to Rio Grande to the south through the Franklin Eddy Conveyance Channel Canal. This salvages groundwater from pipeline laterals and delivers to Rio Grande. Wells are 85 to 110feet deep, and yield 50 to 1000 gallons per minute. There are 115 miles of pipeline laterals, that transport water from salvage wells to conveyance channel. It is 42 miles long, and has capacity to of 45 to 160 cfs. This water makes up about 18% of thee annual flow delivered to NM and TX. Or between 15,000 and 300,000 acre feet.
In addition to meeting the terms of the Rio Grande Compact to NM, TX and MX- this “salvage water” is delivered to Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge and Blanca Wildlife Habitat Area, and to San Luis Lake State Park, The project is operated and maintained by Bureau of Reclamation personnel. And a contact with Rio Grande Water Conservation Distict.
(San Luis Valley Project, Closed Basin Division).
We need letter to Steve Van Diver- (Rio Grande Water Cons. Dist).
Letter to Mike Sullivan- ask him to monitor (below surface) wells C-23, C-57, 22, 20 (DW 9), 24, C-27 (DW-4, SW-1) (need paperwork on this last one)
Letter to COGCC-
Bureau of Rec.
Mention impact of flooding on drilling operations.
Lexam proposes to take water out of SW- 5 well How are they going to replenish this water? Would they dump water in Crestone or Willow Creeks? Where would they do it? They plan to pull out 15 acre feet. Where will they get the water to replenish this. What agency is going to track this?
Info on wells.
There are thousands of wells into the confined aquifer, water is under artesian pressure, so you get upward leakage.
Baca 1- Sec 1, T1N, R1E- (near top of Kit Carson peak- upper Copper Gulch)
Claims to be irrigation well 200 gpm, dug in 120, 100’ deep, 16” casing. Records were in 1975,W-2219
Diane Geese- said about Baca #1- lexam Explorations, wildcat well drilled 9/26/95. SW 1/4,NW 1/4, Sec 15, T42N,R12E. elevation = 7815’,
lat.=37.886046, long= 105.648418, permit # 950514, total depth = 4,322’, hit Mancos Shale at 3800’, PreC at 3814’.
Baca Well #2- (Sec 4,T1S, R1E) Div. Water Res. 199724. (COGCC- 950915, State Engineer- MH-27064), plugged back to 739’ Nov. 9, 1995. Stockman’s Water Co.- Well was drilled as oil test by Lexam. And plugged back to 1000’ before being converted back to a monitoring well. How was it plugged? Cement, bentonite- how do we know it was plugged- contamination/commingling, not monitoring WAtethe? (UTM 435934N, 4198629E?)
Lexam claims they drilled it in 1995 and that it is about 7000’ deep.
Here is what Diane Geesee’s scout card said about the same well= (permit #950514), drilled by lexam Explorations, completed in 9/26/95, SE,NW, Sec 16, T42N, R12E, elevation 7733’, total depth = 6932’, hit Mancos at 6542, PreC at 6657’. Drilled and Abandoned- 9/26/95. This is the same well.
Old Grant Well #5- W-2219, AZ Land And Cattle- Reg # 20382- NW1/4, NE1/4, Sec 1, T1N, R1E.- irrigation, 950 gpm, 2.12 cubic feet/sec. 4.24 acre feet, at Baca Ranch headquarters,date of appropriation 7.28/1953.
BG- 15- drilled in 1955- NE of SE of Sec 34, T2N, R1W, 6 miles north of Baca well #1 location, 1100 gpm, 132’ deep, 16” casing, just south of Willow Creek Park, 20616, for livestock.
BG or just Grant 16, Sec 23, T45N, R10E, irrigation well, unconfined.
C-20 (150169) drilled in 1940, 2” casing, casing now probably leaking, 1.3 gpm,
In late 1950’s, Colorado started taking over permitting- “late-record of wells”
We can write letter requesting water quality sampling.
Boyce made another 49 well applications-he wanted 2000’ wells to test the water .
Who did water analysis for EA. Need baseline before drilling (including below surface)- one of the wettest places anyone has tried to drill.
Methane band is east of highway 17 between Alamosa and BNWR- nasty taste and smell- animals will stay away. It comes from confined aquifers 300 to 500’+ deep.
Evelyn Veehill. Of Sangre de Cristo Lab. (589-1024). There should be zero tolerance for methane for drinking water to be safe. At 10mg/l concentrations of methane, water is ignitable- at 20 mg/l, water is saturated with methane so you need to dilute to get accurate reading. Machines won’t read it. So 10 to 20 are ignitable numbers. Many families in the Mosca-Hooper area heat their homes with water they drink (using digester?)- gas trapped in plumbing of a brand new house between Alamosa and Mosca- exploded and destroyed the home- in about 2003.
Safe drinking water should have no odor, no color, no taste, no H2S, should not foam like beer or be gold in color.
Now Rio Grande Conservation District- owns the right to produce water.
Legality of taking water
Water Court Case #04CW24 (6 week trial) established rules for confined aquifer. State Engineers determined that confined aquifer is fully appropriated. Applies to large capacity wells (750 gpm) but small capacity wells- (less than 50 gpm) are exempt.
Since 1972, any water withdrawn from confined aquifer needs to be replaced (augmented) on a 1 for 1 basis. No longer free.
Water Court Case- # 04CW35 is attempt by Sand Dunes NP (govt) to ty up sufficient water underneath.
Are they selling the threat of mining?
SLV Irrigation District
(Spring) calving areas for elk, mule deer and antelope not discussed or shown on Lexam’s maps.
Lexam will have to get water permit from Colorado Division of Water Resources to pump 15 acre feet of water from SW%.
Larry Hakes is well inspector
Steve Blount- new Wate Commissioner.
We need baseline on radon gas,