Does A Fracking Disaster Lurk Under Colorado’s Floodwaters?

September 18th, 2013

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

As the sky finally clears in flood-devastated Colorado and official damage estimates continue to come out, questions remain about the stability of the state’s fracking sites in one of the most densely drilled areas in the United States, many of which have been completely covered by floodwaters.

Photo and video continue to surface of online flooded fracking sites, toppled-over condensate tanks, tanks floating in floodwaters leaking unknown fluid and scattered debris from drilling operations.

colorado flood
WELD COUNTY, CO. – SEPTEMBER 16: A drilling derrick near Greeley stands in land flooded by the South Platte River. (Photo By Tim Rasmussen/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Colorado’s historic and catastrophic flood has already resulted in the deaths of eight people, hundreds unaccounted for, the destruction or damage of nearly 20,000 homes, the evacuation of more than 10,000 people, the destruction or serious damage of 50 bridges. And as the state begins plans to rebuild, the possibility of a large-scale fracking disaster due to flooding has many activists worried.

“You have hundreds, if not thousands, of wells underwater right now and we have no idea what those wells are leaking,” Lafayette-based anti-fracking activist and East Boulder County United spokesman Cliff Willmeng said Monday, Think Progress reported. “It’s very clear they are leaking into the floodwaters, though.”

Willmeng told Boulder’s Daily Camera that he spent two days “zig-zagging” across Weld and Boulder counties and says he observed “hundreds” of wells that were inundated and several condensate tanks — tanks which hold fracking site waste material — overturned or at odd angles. Tanks matching Willmeng’s description were posted by East Boulder United’s Facebook page over the last couple of days and can be seen below.

The oil and gas industry has said that fracking shouldn’t be a concern with regards to the flooding. “None [of the fracking sites] have been left open during the flood and we don’t have any major issues going on,” Colorado Oil and Gas Association President and CEO Tisha Schuller told 9News. “There were no fracking sites affected by the flood.”

But with at least one pipeline confirmed to be broken and leaking, the exact extent of the damage to the fracking sites and the amount of possible leaked oil or waste material is still unknown. Mike King, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources told The Denver Post that the “the scale is unprecedented and that authorities “will have to deal with environmental contamination from whatever source.”

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is urging everyone in Colorado to avoid contact with the water warning it could contain sewage or chemicals washed away from flooded homes, businesses or industry.

“If people must be in contact with floodwaters, they should wash frequently with warm water and soap,” said CDPHE Spokesman Mark Salley.

colorado flood
WELD COUNTY, CO. – SEPTEMBER 16: Debris from an destroyed drilling operation near Greeley in water flooded by the South Platte River. (Photo By Tim Rasmussen/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

In Weld County, The Greeley Tribune notes that three of the oil and gas industry’s biggest companies control the largest amount of drilling sites in the area and can control the majority of them remotely with a touch of a button.

Andarko Petroleum Corp. has shut down 600 wells and stopped drilling activity, Noble says it has shut down 10 percent of its wells in the region, Encana Oil & Gas has shut down nearly 400 of their wells and PDC Energy reports that it has shut down a little over 100 wells in the affected area.

There are more than 20,000 wells in the oil-rich Niobrara Formation in Northern Colorado with 3,200 permits for open pits in Weld County alone, The Denver Post reports.

colorado flood
A floating tank leaks an unknown fluid on flooded farm Weld County Colorado Saturday morning, September 14, 2103. (Photo By Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Overturned and leaking condensate tanks are largely noticeable and can be more easily tracked down, but waste flushed out of pits or, even worse, a ruptured gas line can be harder to spot.

“I imagine a lot of the damage is done, certainly if there were open pits — and as I understand it, there are,” Hugh MacMillan, senior researcher at environmental group Food and Water Watch, said to Fast Company. And the “worst-case scenario,” according to Colorado School of Mines professor William Fleckenstein, would be a damaged high-pressure gas line which could be explosive.

Greeley-area radio host Scooter McGee went on a trip to what he claims is a ruptured gas line off U.S. Route 34, east of Greeley. McGee’s claims have not been confirmed by state or gas industry officials, but his video appears below:

If you feel you have seen a leaking fracking site due to flooding, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has instructions online for reporting the issue.

Earlier on HuffPost:

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Muddied furniture sits in Terri Jo and Jeff Cast’s basement in Johnstown, Colo. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013 after damage from a flood. The surging waters damaged the rental home as well as the the neighboring farmland. The floods that ravaged Colorado this past week also took a toll on the state’s agricultural communities. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
The roof of a collapsed barn rests on muddy ground at a farm in Johnstown, Colo. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013 following damage from a flood. The surging waters damaged a handful of homes and farmland in this small town. The floods that ravaged Colorado this past week also took a toll on the state’s agricultural communities. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Mud and water cover what used to be an asphalt driveway at a farm in Johnstown, Colo. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013 following damage from a flood. The surging waters damaged a handful of homes and farmland in this small town. The floods that ravaged Colorado this past week also took a toll on the state’s agricultural communities. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Kenny O’Gorman and Delfino Ortega help clean up Terri Jo and Jeff Cast’s basement in Johnstown, Colo. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013 following damage from a flood. The surging waters also damaged the neighboring farmland. The floods that ravaged Colorado this past week also took a toll on the state’s agricultural communities. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Nancy Cousins, John Cousins

Nancy Cousins, left, cleans furniture while her husband John Cousins, right, carries possessions out their flooded basement in Longmont, Colo., on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013. The rains finally stopped, allowing many Colorado flood evacuees to return home to toppled houses and upended vehicles with the realization that rebuilding their lives will take months. Search crews, meanwhile, rescued hundreds more people stranded by floodwaters. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
Cody Trevithick, Daniel Gurrola

City of Longmont workers Cody Trevithick, left, and Daniel Gurrola, right, clean mud and debris from Airport Rd. in Longmont, Colo., on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013. The rains finally stopped, allowing many Colorado flood evacuees to return home to toppled houses and upended vehicles with the realization that rebuilding their lives will take months. Search crews, meanwhile, rescued hundreds more people stranded by floodwaters. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
At sunrise, the St. Vrain creek flows past a bridge destroyed in flooding days earlier, in Longmont, Colo., Tuesday Sept. 17, 2013. Meanwhile elsewhere, searches continue for those missing in isolated Colorado mountain towns. The rains finally stopped, allowing many Colorado flood evacuees to return home to toppled houses and upended vehicles with the realization that rebuilding their lives will take months. Search crews, meanwhile, rescued hundreds more people stranded by floodwaters. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Chris Ringdahl, Katherine MacIntosh

Homeowner Chris Ringdahl, left, is comforted by family friend Katherine MacIntosh, right, in front of her possessions as they cleanup from the floodwaters in Longmont, Colo., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Floodwaters have affected a 4,500 square-mile section of the state inundating entire neighborhoods and destroying bridges and roads. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
FILE – In this Sept. 13, 2013 file photo, cars lay mired in mud deposited by floods in Lyons, Colo. Little more than a year after Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper assured the world his wildfire-ravaged state was still open for business, he may have to throw another lifeline to keep the states billion-dollar tourism industry afloat. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
Jose Pantoia

This photo released by the U.S. Army, Staff Sgt. Jose Pantoja, a flight medic with the Colorado Air National Guard, carries an unidentified evacuee up a hoist onto a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during flood rescue and recovery operations near Boulder, Colo., Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Military helicopter crews have flown hundreds of missions up the treacherous canyons of the Rocky Mountains to rescue about 2,000 people, and counting, and drop food and water supplies to stranded hamlets. (AP Photo/U.S. Army, Sgt. Jonathan C. Thibault/Released)
Cars moved around by floodwaters are piled up in Longmont, Colo., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Floodwaters have affected a 4,500 square-mile section of the state inundating entire neighborhoods and destroying bridges and roads. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
Saikham Xiong

Saikham Xiong, 22, cleans mud from a business in Longmont, Colo., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Floodwaters have affected a 4,500 square-mile section of the state inundating entire neighborhoods and destroying bridges and roads. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
A building is surrounded by floodwaters in Loveland, Colo., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Floodwaters have affected a 4,500 square-mile section of the state inundating entire neighborhoods and destroying bridges and roads. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
A pickup truck lies in floodwaters in Longmont, Colo., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Floodwaters have affected a 4,500 square-mile section of the state inundating entire neighborhoods and destroying bridges and roads. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
Floodwaters inundate a street in Loveland, Colo., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Floodwaters have affected a 4,500 square-mile section of the state inundating entire neighborhoods and destroying bridges and roads. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
Rescued Flood Victims

A woman is helped off of a military helicopter at the Boulder Municipal Airport in Boulder, Colo., on on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, after being rescued. Thousands of people remained stranded by high water and washed out roads in the state. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Rescued Flood Victims

A flood victim walks off of a military helicopter at the Boulder Municipal Airport in Boulder, Colo., on on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, after being rescued. Thousands of people remained stranded by high water and washed out roads in the state.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Rescued Flood Victims

Flood victims are helped off of a military helicopter at the Boulder Municipal Airport in Boulder, Colo., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, after being rescued. Thousands of people remained stranded by high water and washed out roads in the state.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Rescued Flood Victims

A woman is helped off of a military helicopter at the Boulder Municipal Airport in Boulder, Colo., on on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, after being rescued. Thousands of people remained stranded by high water and washed out roads in the state.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Rescued Flood Victims

Flood victims are helped off of military helicopters at the Boulder Municipal Airport in Boulder, Colo., on on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, after being rescued. Thousands of people remained stranded by high water and washed out roads in the state.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Rescue Helicopters

A military helicopter takes off from Boulder Municipal Airport as another, in foreground, warms up to fly in Boulder, Colo., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Crews are searching for pockets of individuals still stranded from flooding that began late last week. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Miranda Woodard, left, and Joey Schendel help salvage and clean property in an area inundated after days of flooding, in Hygiene, Colo., Monday Sept. 16, 2013. Colorado mountain towns cut off for days by massive flooding slowly reopened Monday, to reveal cabins toppled, homes ripped from their foundations and everything covered in a thick layer of muck. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Local residents, left to right, Genevieve Marquez and Miranda Woodard rinse mud from their hands in floodwaters while helping salvage and clean property in an area inundated after days of flooding, in Hygeine, Colo., Monday Sept. 16, 2013. Searches continue for missing people in isolated Colorado mountain towns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Local residents, left to right, Levi Wolfe, Miranda Woodard, Tyler Sadar, and Genevieve Marquez help salvage and clean property in an area inundated after days of flooding, in Hygeine, Colo., Monday Sept. 16, 2013. Searches continue for missing people in isolated Colorado mountain towns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Local residents, left to right, Tyler Sadar, Miranda Woodard, Joey Schendel, and Levi Wolfe help salvage and clean property in an area inundated after days of flooding, in Hygeine, Colo., Monday Sept. 16, 2013. Searches continue for missing people in isolated Colorado mountain towns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Local man Joey Schendel, 19, looks for submerged items while helping neighbors salvage and clean their property in an area inundated after days of flooding, in Hygeine, Colo., Monday Sept. 16, 2013. Searches continue for missing people in isolated Colorado mountain towns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A bulldozer drives on the sidewalk past Boulder Creek, whose swollen waters have receded somewhat since the intense rain has abated over the past two days, in Boulder, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Dawn breaks over Boulder, Colo., where the intense rain which had fallen for days has abated somewhat over the past two days, on Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. Helicopter crews are planning to expand their searches Sunday for people stranded by flooding in Colorado. But those plans could be hampered by more rain. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
As heavy rains return after somewhat abating for two days, a field fills with water from overflowing creeks nearby, outside Longmont, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
As heavy rains return after somewhat abating for two days, a field fills with water from overflowing creeks nearby, outside Longmont, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Longmont, Colorado Flooding

Carlos Duron, 3, and his mother, Vilma Maldonado, are evacuees from Longmont, Colo., staying at Mead High School with the Red Cross on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013 in Mead, Colo. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/The Daily Camera, Cliff Grassmick) NO SALES
As heavy rains return after somewhat abating for two days, a farm fills with water from overflowing creeks nearby, outside Longmont, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Longmont, Colorado Flooding

Cortney Perez of Lyons, Colo., pets her dog, while one of her birds rests on her shoulder at the LifeBridge Church in Longmont, Colo., on September 15, 2013. The church provides food and shelter for families and pets. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/The Daily Camera, Cliff Grassmick) NO SALES
A building housing farm equipment is underwater from flooding on the South Platte River on a farm near Greeley, Colo., on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. Heavy rains continued on Sunday. Broad swaths of farmland have become lakes, as the raging South Platte and Poudre rivers flood the area. AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
FLOODING DAY FOUR

Dan Feldheim, left, Scott Hoffenberg, center, and John Smart, pass sandbags as residents reinforce the dam on University Hill in Boulder, Colo., on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/The Daily Camera, Paul Aiken) NO SALES
FLOODING DAY FOUR

Dean Beacom works to save his home from a flash flood near 19th Street and Upland Avenue, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013, in Boulder, Colo. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/The Daily Camera, Jeremy Papasso) NO SALES
FLOODING DAY FOUR

A home on Upland Avenue is inundated by a flash flood on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013, in Boulder, Colo. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/The Daily Camera, Jeremy Papasso) NO SALES
Lyons

This photo taken on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, shows cleanup of damage from flooding underway in Lyons, Colo. Access to the small mountain town was cut off after bridges were destroyed by flash flooding. Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain foothills from a paradise for backpackers and nature lovers into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services. Roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, and most shops are closed.(AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)
Lyons

This photo taken on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, shows National Guardsmen loading a woman into a truck to be evacuated from Lyons, Colo. Access to the small mountain town was cut off after bridges were destroyed by flash flooding. Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain foothills from a paradise for backpackers and nature lovers into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services. Roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, and most shops are closed.(AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)
Lyons

This photo taken on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, shows vehicles damages by flood waters on a street in Lyons, Colo. Access to the small mountain town was cut off after bridges were destroyed by flash flooding. Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain foothills from a paradise for backpackers and nature lovers into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services. Roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, and most shops are closed.(AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)
Lyons

This photo taken on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, a National Guard soldier carrying bread into Lyons, Colo. Access to the small mountain town was cut off after bridges were destroyed by flash flooding. Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain foothills from a paradise for backpackers and nature lovers into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services. Roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, and most shops are closed.(AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)
Lyons

This photo taken on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, shows the foundation of a house being undercut in Lyons, Colo. Access to the small mountain town was cut off after bridges were destroyed by flash flooding. Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain foothills from a paradise for backpackers and nature lovers into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services. Roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, and most shops are closed.(AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)
Lyons

This photo taken on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, shows National Guard trucks making their way down one of the main streets in Lyons, Colo. Access to the small mountain town was cut off after bridges were destroyed by flash flooding. Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain foothills from a paradise for backpackers and nature lovers into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services. Roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, and most shops are closed.(AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)
Lyons

This photo taken on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, shows two men carrying bottled water down a street in Lyons, Colo. Access to the small mountain town was cut off after bridges were destroyed by flash flooding. Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain foothills from a paradise for backpackers and nature lovers into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services. Roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, and most shops are closed.(AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)
Water flows through an evacuated neighborhood after days of flooding in Hygeine, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. After somewhat abating for two days, rain returned to Colorado Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Water flows through an evacuated neighborhood after days of flooding in Hygeine, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. After somewhat abating for two days, rain returned to Colorado Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Water flows through an evacuated neighborhood after days of flooding in Hygeine, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. After somewhat abating for two days, rain returned to Colorado Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Water flows through an evacuated neighborhood after days of flooding in Hygeine, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. After somewhat abating for two days, rain returned to Colorado Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A flooded house bears a dark muddy line showing the high water mark from the flood’s peak, in an evacuated neighborhood in Hygeine, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. After somewhat abating for two days, rain returned to Colorado Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A local woman walks in an evacuated neighborhood where many homes are inundated with water from overflowing canals after days of flash floods and intense rain, in Hygeine, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. After somewhat abating for two days, rain returned to Colorado Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Amy Hamrick

Coffee shop owner Amy Hamrick poses in her shop Sunday Sept. 15, 2013 in Estes Park, Colo. Hamrick worked to clear inventory and clean up mud and water that swamped the town’s main street when the Big Thompson River surged through Estes Park late Thursday and early Friday. (AP Photo/Jeri Clausing)