Update on State 30-16 Site Methane Investigation

Work Beginning Week of July 4 on Sound/Light Barrier

Investigations into the source of the methane release at the State 30-16 well are ongoing and remediation activities are scheduled to begin in early July.
 
Town staff were informed by Kerr-McGee/Occidental that mobilization of a work over rig to the State Pad, north of Soaring Heights PK-8 and Erie High School, is scheduled for the week of July 11, 2022. The purpose of the workover rig is to re-enter one or more previously plugged wells to address the source of the methane detected in the soil.

To facilitate rapid investigation and remediation of the methane source, work will be carried out 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. To minimize disturbance to nearby residents, construction of a light/sound barrier wall will begin the week of July 4. Adjacent residents will receive a mailed notification from Kerr-McGee/Occidental prior to commencement of activities.

A determination was made to delay mobilization until the conclusion of the school year to minimize potential impacts to students and school staff. St. Vrain Valley School District was also informed of the planned remediation work on the State Pad.
 
While preliminary soil vapor results show a concentration of subsurface methane near the previously plugged and abandoned State 6-16 well, a final determination on the source of the methane release has not yet been reached.
 
To date no methane has been detected at the surface or in the air by on-site air monitoring or periodic IR camera inspections (reports are available from the Stakeholder Project Updates site, scroll to the bottom of the page for State 30-16 reports), thus State, Operator, and Town staff are confident that there was not any danger at the time of the initial report and there remains no danger to students or staff at Soaring Heights or Erie High Schools, nor to the public at large.
 
Additional testing will follow down-hole remediation activities to ensure the source of the fugitive methane has been addressed and that elevated methane concentrations are no longer present in the soil.
 
Questions regarding the ongoing investigation can be directed to David Frank, Energy and Environmental Program Specialist for the Town of Erie at dfrank@erieco.gov; to Gregory Hamilton, the Environmental Consultant for Kerr McGee leading the investigation at Gregory_Hamilton@oxy.com; or to Chris Canfield, the principal COGCC investigator at chris.canfield@state.co.us.
 
Background
The methane release was reported in a notification on Sept. 2 and follow-up notifications on Sept. 13, Oct. 28, and Feb. 16. Oil and gas operator Kerr McGee/Occidental notified local and state entities (COGCC) of a release at the State 30-16 well site, outside Town of Erie limits near WCR 10 and WCR 5 (located north of Soaring Heights PK-8 and Erie High School).