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Resident urges baseline well testing and monitoring for Remora pipeline project
Summary
A Strasburg resident told the Planning Commission that her 35-acre property relies on a private well and requested baseline and ongoing water-quality testing and binding agreements to protect well owners if pipeline or pad development affects groundwater; staff described pre-drilling sampling and notification requirements.
Rebecca Tuca, a Strasburg resident who called into the hearing, told the Planning Commission she relies entirely on a private domestic well and asked the applicant and county to ensure protections for nearby well owners. “I would like to know more information ... that the operator will also provide a baseline water quality testing before construction, drilling, tracking, and any pipeline operation,” she said, and asked for a binding plan in case future activity affected well depth or water quality.
Applicant representative John Chapman said the company prioritizes integrity and monitoring, describing leak-detection systems and routine inspections: “We do biweekly, drone flights ... it'll scan over the top of our pipeline and, see any leaks that could potentially be occurring,” he said, and added that the company uses inline inspection tools per federal standards. County staff said the pad plans (when submitted) include pre-drilling water-quality sampling roughly 30 days before drilling and periodic monitoring thereafter. Planning staff Jason Reynolds added that operators are required to send letters to property owners with wells listed with the Colorado Division of Water Resources within a 0.5-mile radius and to offer to sample those wells.
Commissioners and staff acknowledged that groundwater is a key county concern and that pad-related water-quality monitoring and notification are part of the permitting and engineering submittal process. The resident’s request for binding legal guarantees beyond existing permit conditions was noted but not adopted as an additional condition during the Planning Commission motion; the commission’s approval included the staff-recommended conditions and required submittals that cover monitoring and notification procedures.
Next steps: the applicant will be required to submit the specified water-quality and engineering documentation as part of pad and pipeline permitting and the county will forward the commission’s recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.
