The Witty Liberal
We are now finally a true Christian nation! America is great again! ~Laird
Yet again another pipeline polluting waterways.
A BP pipeline running along Sauls Creek in Bayfield was discovered
ruptured last week, spilling coal-bed methane produced water into
the creek and forcing the emergency construction of an earthen
dam to prevent…
Colorado Pipeline Is Leaking Into Local Water
A BP pipeline running along Sauls Creek in Bayfield was discovered ruptured last week, spilling coal-bed methane produced water into the creek and forcing the emergency construction of an earthen dam to prevent contamination downstream.
According to state reports, a 6-inch fiberglass gathering line was found leaking around 7 a.m. Dec. 13, about four miles west of Bayfield on National Forest Service land off County Road 527, also known as Forest Service Road 608.
The produced water – a byproduct of oil and gas extraction – traveled across a sagebrush/grass meadow and into Sauls Creek, an intermittent stream that flows into Beaver Creek, which meets the Los Pinos River a few miles south of Bayfield.
BP reported the creek was dry on Dec. 13, but the next day a state oil and gas inspector found Sauls Creek “contained runoff from snow melt.” An early estimate shows the produced water traveled 2,300 feet along the channel bottom.
However, BP on Monday could not say how long the spill had been occurring, how much was released and what the contents of the product were.
The cause of the spill, too, remains unknown.
A Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission representative wrote in an emailed response that more information will be included in supplemental reports and through ongoing water sampling.
The pipeline repair required that County Road 527 be restricted to one lane of traffic for four days last week as BP crews partially excavated the road, according to U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Ann Bond.
Brett Clanton, a BP representative, did not address several of The Durango Herald’s questions about the incident. He wrote the spill was isolated within two hours of discovery, the produced water contained no hydrocarbons and that no residents in the surrounding area were affected.
“With safety as our highest priority, we will continue to coordinate with relevant agencies to complete any further remediation efforts as warranted,” Clantonwrote.
Produced water is a briny fluid captured in the rock of oil reservoirs that is extracted along with oil and gas. It is considered the largest toxic byproduct of extraction operations, and can contain salt, chemicals, residual oil and heavy metals, though the contents vary from well to well.
Although the chemical makeup of the substance released into Sauls Creek is unknown, a preliminary sampling showed the water contained 4,000 milligram per liter of total dissolved solids, compared to background values of less than 300 mg/L.
Total dissolved solids are a measure of all dissolved substances in water, and is generally used to gauge salinity. Salinity, in turn, can be an indicator for concentrations of chloride, sodium, magnesium, bicarbonate and sulfates, among others.
BP operates about 30 gas wells in the Sauls Creek area that produce coal-bed methane gas and produced water that is transmitted by pipeline to a processing facility in Bayfield.
BP likely faces “some kind of enforcement action due to impact on waters of the state,” oil and gas commission spokesman Todd Hartman wrote in an email.
The company must continue further remediation efforts and water sampling. The temporary dam remains in place as these actions continue, Hartman said.
As of Dec. 19, there have been 19 reported spills in La Plata County in 2016 accounting for approximately 350 barrels of spilled substances, mostly produced water.
BP has accounted for 12 of those incidents, spilling about 165 barrels, according to COGCC data.
Two spills (including this recent one) did not have estimates for amounts leaked.
The president-elect and his minions are flapping about trying to convince…
"Snubbing Trump, musicians lead the resistance" "Now, as these things go, this is small. Celine Dion refusing to warble “My Heart Will Go On” to a sea of tuxedos, gowns, and “Make America Great Again” caps won’t deter any of Trump’s appalling Cabinet picks. Bocelli choosing not to perform “Nessun Dorma” for Donald and Melania’s first dance won’t change any of the dreadful policies Trump is threatening to impose. Yet these musicians’ resistance should not be lightly dismissed, either. It comes as Trump is trying to prove his might and ability to bend people to his will. If Trump can’t convince Brooks to don his formal cowboy hat and strum a few tunes for the new president, how will he fare against world leaders already convinced that he’s a buffoon?
It doesn’t matter whether stars are declining Trump’s request because they oppose his rhetoric and proposed policies or because they just want to avoid backlash from their fans. This is tangible defiance that Trump can’t ignore, because it makes him look foolish and ineffectual. And you don’t have to be Alec Baldwin to recognize how deeply that kind of thing wounds the petulant manchild who will be president."
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