210,000 Gallons of Produced Water (aka, toxic liquid industrial waste) Drains into Creek on State Land - Arapahoe, County Colorado

RENEGADE OIL & GAS COMPANY LLC 

This post is a very comprehensive look into the history of one company's well site and its inadequate track record.  It appears that a large discharge of produced water occurred in late 2005. Was this spill a concern? It was on State land.

 It is 'estimated' that +/- 5,000 barrels of produced water discharged on the ground surface and into Cottonwood Creek. According to COGCC documents, one barrel equals 42 US gallons.  Five thousand barrels equates to 210,000 gallons of produced water that was reportedly spilled into Cottonwood Creek.  Was this company fined?

Why has this company had so many unsatisfactory inspections/violations and is still being allowed to manage an active well?  Of the 9 inspections listed below, the  oil & gas operator  failed 7, or 78% failure rate. Should they be fined? Should they be shut down for having so many violations?

Do all companies get 'breaks' for their violations? Are O&G violation rules different if a well is located on State land? Where did the produced water go? Does the Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 apply?

official docx:

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Date Rec'd:	12/21/2005	Report taken by:	BOB CHESSON
DocNum:	1433324	API number:	05-005 -06522	Facility ID:	204437

Operator Information

Operator:	RENEGADE OIL & GAS COMPANY LLC	Oper. No.	74165
Address:	P O BOX 460413 ATTN: EDWARD INGVE AURORA , CO 80046-0413
Phone:	(303 )680-4725	Fax:	(303 )680-4907
Operator Contact:	JB CONDILL

Description of Spill:

Date of Incident:	12/1/2005
Type of Facility:	WELL
Well Name/No.	STATE 2	Fac. Name/No.
County Name:	ARAPAHOE
qtrqtr: NESW section: 36 township: 4S range: 58W meridian: 6

Volumes spilled and recovered (bbls)
Oil spilled: 0	Recvrd: 0
Water spilled:	Recvrd: 0
Other spilled:	Recved:
GW Impact? N     Surface water impact? Y     Contained within berm? N
Area and vertical extent of spill: 20-FT X 800 -FT
Current land use: RANGELAND
Weather conditions:
Soil/Geology description
Distance in feet to nearest surface water:
Depth to shallowest GW:
Wetlands:	Buildings:
Livestock:	Water Wells:
Cause of spill:
EQUIPMENT FAILURE
Immediate Response:
BACKHOE PLUGGED HOLE IN BERM AND REINFORCED BERM
Emergency Pits:
NONE
How extent determined:
VISUAL
Further Remediation
REMEDIATION UNDERWAY.
Prevent Problem:
REVIEW OF ALL COMPANY POLICIES WITH EMPLOYEES.
Detailed Description:
INSPECTION BY COGCC STAFF IN RESPONSE TO SURFACE OWNERS CONCERN IDENTIFIED A BREACH IN THE PRODUCED WATER PIT ALLOWING PIT TO DISCHARGE TO DRAINAGE OF COTTONWOOD CREEK AT A RATE OF APPROX. 3 GPM. RELEASE ONGOING FOR SOME TIME SO ESTIMATES OF RELEASE ARE VERY APPROXIMATE (5,000 BBLS (?).)

 

Field Visit/Follow Up
Name	Phone	Date
No Field Visit data found.

 

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Historical field inspections at this specific well  API Number: 05-005-06522 Name: STATE #2 Location: NESW 36 4S 58W Lat: 39.65898 Long: -103.82827 Operator #: 39100   Field Inspections:   Inspection Date: 5/24/1995   Inspection was: No Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Indicator   Violation: Y   Field Inspection Comments and Observations   Insp. Comment Inspection/Violation Comments HISTORICAL WELLSIGN POSTED BUT ILLEGIBLE, PRODUCING AT TIME OF INSPECTION PUMPING UNIT FENCED, LOCATION IN REASONABLE CONDITION OIL SATURATED SOIL AROUND WELLHEAD     Inspection Date: 5/25/1995   Inspection was: No Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Indicator   Violation: Field Inspection Comments and Observations   Insp. Comment Inspection/Violation Comments HISTORICAL PRODUCED WATER PIT BERM HAD BEEN REPAIRED, BUT EVIDENCE OF DISCHARGE OF WATER & OIL STILL EVIDENT FROM TANK BATTERY EAST IN DITCH ALONG ROAD TO CONFLUENCE W/ COTTONWOOD CREEK, THEN NORTH IN COTTONWOODCREEK, OTHER PROBLEMS INCLUDE BERMS AROUND TANKS TOO SMALL, ABANDONED PIT, DRUMS. WILL WRITE LETTER TO AL POWELL RE REQUIRED REMEDIATION   Inspection Date: 12/1/2000   Inspection was: Unsatisfactory   Violation: Y Field Inspection Comments and Observations   Insp. Comment Inspection/Violation Comments ACTION REMOVE OIL FROM PIT AND REPAIR SCREEN TO PREVENT WILDLIFE ACCESS. CLEAN UP OIL SATURATED WEEDS. FIREWALL TANK BERM APPEARS ADEQUATE GENHOUSE OIL SATURATED WEEDS AROUND PIT TANKBAT (3) 300 BBL PROD TANKS WELLSIGN SIGN POSTED AT WELL AND BATTERY        Inspection Date: 7/11/2001   Inspection was: Unsatisfactory   Violation:   Field Inspection Comments and Observations   Insp. Comment Inspection/Violation Comments ACTION 2ND NOTICE- REMOVE OIL FROM PIT AND REPAIR SCREEN TO PREVENT WILDLIFE ACCESS. CLEAN UP OIL SATURATED WEEDS. GENHOUSE OILY WEEDS AND SOIL AROUND PIT MISC PUMPJACK OPERATING DURING INSPECTION WELLSIGN SIGN POSTED AT WELL     Inspection Date: 7/25/2001   Inspection was: Satisfactory   Violation: N   Field Inspection Comments and Observations   Insp. Comment Inspection/Violation Comments FIREWALL TANK BERM APPEARS ADEQUATE. TANKBAT OPERATOR SET STEEL TANK TO REPLACE SKIM PIT.   Inspection Date: 12/1/2005 ***(see reports and images below pertaining to the recorded discharge)   Inspection was: Unsatisfactory   Violation: Y Field Inspection Comments and Observations   Insp. Comment Inspection/Violation Comments ACTION CORRECT PIT BREACH ASAP. DISCHARGE IMPACTED AREA WILL REQUIRE REMEDIATION. GENHOUSE DISCHARGE FROM PIT MUST BE TERMINATED IMMEDIATELY. OTHERWISE TB LOCATION GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING OK. SPILCOM BREACHED SOUTH PIT WALL (SIGNIFICANT EROSION) ALLOWING DISCHARGE OF PRODUCED WATER TO DRAINGE TO SOUTH. SIGNIFICANT VEGETATION GROWTH IN SPILL AREA INDICATES LONG-TERM RELEASE NOT RECENT DISCHARGE.   Inspection Date: 9/18/2007   Inspection was: Unsatisfactory   Violation: Y   Field Inspection Comments and Observations   Insp. Comment Inspection/Violation Comments ACTION NOAV ISSUED. REMOVE OIL FROM PITS. REPAIR ALL LEAKS. REMOVE OIL-SATURATED SOIL FROM WELLSITE, BATTERY AND PITS. REMOVE CONTAMINATED BERMS. RE-BUILD PIT BERMS. COVER SKIM PIT. REMOVE MISC. JUNK. FIREWALL BERMS OK AROUND BATTERY TANKS. BERMS AROUND PITS MIXED WITH OIL PULLED FROM PITS - CONTAMINATED. GENHOUSE MISC. JUNK ON WELLSITE. LEASE ROAD TO BATTERY IN DISREPAIR. MISC PUMP JACK / SIGN / AJAX / MUFFLER / SHED. SPILCOM OIL-SATURATED SOIL INSIDE AJAX SHED. OIL-SATURATED SOIL AROUND BASE OF OIL SKIM TANK. OIL-SATURATED SOIL ON PIT WALLS AND BERMS. TANKBAT 3-300 BBL UPRIGHTS / BERMED / SIGN / VERTICAL GAS PROCESSORS WITH BIRD PROTECTION / SHED / FLAT SKID-MOUNTED LPG TANK / 300 BBL OIL SKIM TANK / SKIM PIT / PRODUCTION PIT / SHARED BATTERY WITH 005-06818 / DRAINAGE AREA ADJACENT TO PITS. WELLSIGN BOTH     Inspection Date: 11/7/2007   Inspection was: Unsatisfactory   Violation: Y   Field Inspection Comments and Observations   Insp. Comment Inspection/Violation Comments ACTION COVER SKIM PIT. CLEAN UP REMAINING STAINED SOILS AND JUNK. FIREWALL BERMS OK GENHOUSE JUNK - RODS AND TUBING - ON WELLSITE. MISC WELLSITE: PUMP JACK / AJAX WITH MUFFLER AND SHED / SIGN. FOLLOW-UP FOR NOAV # 200119084 SPILCOM SOIL STAINING NEAR TREATER SHED. TANKBAT 3-300 BBL UPRIGHTS / BERMED / SIGN / VERTICAL GAS PROCESSORS WITH BIRD PROTECTION / SHED / FLAT SKID-MOUNTED LPG TANK / 300 BBL OIL SKIM TANK WELLSIGN BOTH      Inspection Date: 11/20/2007   Inspection was: Satisfactory   Field Inspection Comments and Observations   Insp. Comment Inspection/Violation Comments FIREWALL OK GENHOUSE OK MISC FOLLOW UP TO NOAV INSPECTION--ALL OIL STAINED SOIL HAS BEEN SATISFACTORILY REMOVED FROM BATTERY AND WELLSITE / BERM SEPARATIONS IN PIT HAVE BEEN REMOVED CREATING A SINGLE PRODUCED WATER PIT----PRODUCER MAINTAINS THAT NO SKIM PIT EVER EXISTED---COGCC HAS NO RECORD PERMITTING TWO PITS / ALL OIL CONTAMINATION AS REPRESENTED IN THE NOAV HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM PRODUCED WATER PIT / JUNK AT WELLSITE HAS BEEN REMOVED SPILCOM OK