Adams County staff propose new separation buffers around existing oil-and-gas sites; recommend 1,000-foot buffer for permitted-but-undrilled pads

Greg Dean, Adams County's oil and gas administrator, presented staff's initial recommendations to add and revise separation buffers intended to manage new development near existing oil-and-gas facilities.

Dean explained the rationale: preproduction activities (drilling, completions, flowback) pose higher short-term acute air-quality and safety risks than steady production, and many older plugged wells will require future replugging with workover rigs that need adequate access. "I will note that separation buffers are not in any way regulated by the state," Dean said, adding that local governments set these development-side buffers. Based on stakeholder input and technical research, staff proposed a 1,000-foot buffer measured from the edge of disturbance for permitted-but-undrilled or spud-but-not-complete facilities, retained a 250-foot buffer for active facilities but applied it to equipment and tank footprints (closing a loophole that allowed development up-close to production equipment), and increased plugged-well buffers to roughly 100 feet (about 0.7 acre) to allow future replugging operations.

Staff also reviewed survey results (151 responses) showing residents and HOAs generally favor larger buffers, while developers emphasized certainty and requested clear waiver processes. Commissioners discussed implementation questions — how to treat already-platted lots, waiver criteria, whether notice should be expanded on plats or deeds, and whether buffers should vary by facility type or age of plug. Staff said they will return with draft regulatory language and implementation options after further work with the county attorney and additional stakeholder engagement, and that the planning commission will be briefed on August 13.