The situation in Firestone is tragic, and while the City does not regulate oil and gas development operations, we have been talking with our one oil and gas operator within City limits, and with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) about concerns expressed by our residents here in Fort Collins.

In comparison to the factors that led to the Firestone explosion, the wells in the northeast Fort Collins field are different than the wells in Firestone because they produce primarily oil as opposed to gas, and require water injection to artificially bring the oil the surface. The operator characterized the product in the flowlines as approximately 97% water, 3% oil and very little gas, as opposed to the higher pressure and more volatile gas product that was implicated in the Firestone explosion.

Also, the State has issued a order that all flowlines in Colorado within 1000 feet of a residence be inspected by May 31. This does include all flowlines in and near Fort Collins.

Per our coordination with the County, the County and City each have a Local Government Designee (LGD) who act as liaisons with the State regulators and share information with each other regarding any oil and gas activity in the City’s Growth Management Area (GMA).