News
Sports
RIFLE, COLORADO - There was a long, pregnant pause before Rifle, Colorado Mayor Keith Lambert cast the deciding vote not to approve an application to drill five natural gas well pads and multiple wells within the city's Beaver Creek watershed district.
Rifle, Colorado City Council members voted 4-3 at the Wednesday, Oct. 15 meeting to not approve the application submitted by Laramie Energy II out of Grand Junction.
Laramie was seeking the permit application for an exploration drilling project within five miles of the city's Beaver Creek watershed district.
However, there were concerns about the proximity of the Beaver Creek Road and the effects that truck traffic might have on the city's water supply or repercussions should there be an oil or grease spill.
A proposed performance bond of $200,000 by Laramie was suggested by the city's water resources engineer, Michael Erion, of Resource Engineering, Inc. Other suggestions included realignment of the road so traffic would not be so close to the watershed.
Councilor Jennifer Sanborn said she would like to see some kind of 24/7 alarm monitoring system that would alert city officials or personnel should some kind of accident occur due to the proximity to the road to the watershed district.
"I'm just concerned that there should be some kind of alarm system if there's a problem," Sanborn said.
Charlie Stevens, city utility director, acknowledged that it would take a few days to clean up if a major spill occurred in an incident where a truck tipped over.
Sanborn backed up her position by citing the city's code.
"As city council members, we're responsible for upholding the code," Sanborn said. "And that's why I wanted an extensive 24/7 monitoring system."
Councilor Jeanette Thompson also expressed concerns about setting a precedent for others wanting to drill wells near the city's watershed.
Before casting his vote, Lambert acknowledged that the city was very concerned about its water resources and the time it had spent on this particular water shed permit.
“It's been a long, lengthy process," he said. "But water is our most precious resource. We take it very seriously."
Rifle, Colorado City Council members voted 4-3 at the Wednesday, Oct. 15 meeting to not approve the application submitted by Laramie Energy II out of Grand Junction.
Laramie was seeking the permit application for an exploration drilling project within five miles of the city's Beaver Creek watershed district.
However, there were concerns about the proximity of the Beaver Creek Road and the effects that truck traffic might have on the city's water supply or repercussions should there be an oil or grease spill.
A proposed performance bond of $200,000 by Laramie was suggested by the city's water resources engineer, Michael Erion, of Resource Engineering, Inc. Other suggestions included realignment of the road so traffic would not be so close to the watershed.
Councilor Jennifer Sanborn said she would like to see some kind of 24/7 alarm monitoring system that would alert city officials or personnel should some kind of accident occur due to the proximity to the road to the watershed district.
"I'm just concerned that there should be some kind of alarm system if there's a problem," Sanborn said.
Charlie Stevens, city utility director, acknowledged that it would take a few days to clean up if a major spill occurred in an incident where a truck tipped over.
Sanborn backed up her position by citing the city's code.
"As city council members, we're responsible for upholding the code," Sanborn said. "And that's why I wanted an extensive 24/7 monitoring system."
Councilor Jeanette Thompson also expressed concerns about setting a precedent for others wanting to drill wells near the city's watershed.
Before casting his vote, Lambert acknowledged that the city was very concerned about its water resources and the time it had spent on this particular water shed permit.
“It's been a long, lengthy process," he said. "But water is our most precious resource. We take it very seriously."
