A gas well in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in October spilled about 3,150 gallons of wastewater onto the ground, according to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
The well, operated by Linde, Inc., is north of Montezuma County Road G and east of Sand Canyon. It operates under a lease with the Bureau of Land Management.
A cleanup operation has removed the majority of the contaminated soils affected by the spill, said Chris Krassin, assistant field manager of mineral lands for the Tres Rios District of the Bureau of Land Management.
“The company notified officials right away of the spill and have been cooperative,” he said. “The cleanup has gone well; it was mostly saline water.”
Monument Manager Marietta Eaton said there was no threat to the public, and no designated trails were in the area of the well and spill.
Because the company is in good standing and has complied with reporting and cleanup procedures, no fines were issued, officials said.
Produced water is a saline byproduct of natural gas wells, drawn up from thousands of feet underground during the drilling process. It is separated from the gas and stored in tanks next to the well.
According to the commission spill report, workers vented the produced water from the gas well to the holding tank Oct. 18 at 11 a.m., but when workers returned Oct. 19 at 3 p.m., they discovered a dump valve had failed to close during the venting, known as a blowdown.
The tank for the produced water then overflowed, breached secondary containment and flowed off the premises, according to the report. Workers closed the valve, and the flow stopped immediately.
Remaining water in tanks and secondary containment was vacuumed out and trucked off.
It was estimated that 3,150 gallons, or 75 barrels, of produced water spilled. A barrel holds 42 gallons.
The spill flowed down a dry drainage, and some went over a sandstone cliff into a steep canyon before stopping. Because of the rugged terrain, the contaminated soil is being removed by hand from the drainage and lifted out in 5-gallon buckets.
Krassin said officials were considering using pack animals such as mules or horses, to haul remaining contaminated soil from the less accessible area below the cliff.
Contaminated soil is stockpiled and then shipped to an authorized disposal site.
Additional remediation and inspections are planned, and the final cleanup in the rugged canyon will take place as weather permits.
Amy Ficon, head of external communications for Linde, Inc., based in New Jersey, said that the company is taking the incident seriously and has implemented measures to prevent a reoccurrence.
“After careful review of the event, Linde has updated its internal operating procedures to allow for improved monitoring,” Ficon said in a statement to The Journal on Monday. “Linde is committed to the safe, secure and reliable operations of our plants and infrastructure.”
The company plans to hire a helicopter firm to remove containers holding the contaminated soil to minimize disturbance to the BLM land.
The well has resumed operation, according to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
