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Flammable Water Found In Ft. Lupton Home

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Mar 20, 2009 2:19 pm US/Mountain

Flammable Water Found In Ft. Lupton Home

Written by Shaun Boyd

Reporting
Shaun Boyd

FORT LUPTON, Colo. (CBS4) ―

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A Fort Lupton couple says they have so much natural gas in their water they can light it on fire.

Jesse and Amee Ellsworth say the gas has been leaking into their water well from a nearby gas well for the last six months. They say the gas companies are working on a well water treatment system, possibly for the entire community, but that any solution will take time.

Aimee Ellsworth says their only clue that something was wrong was the pressure of the water.

"It crashed, made noises. I thought 'This isn't normal.'"

She says tests found explosive levels of the gas in her basement, bathroom and by her water well.

"I'm jittery all the time," says Ellsworth.

Her home is located in a rural area within a half mile of eight natural gas wells.

Officials with the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission say they have tried to find the origin of the leak.

"We've looked at well compilation reports, taken gas samples to look for a match, done pressure testing and we've not been able to find the well that appears to be causing the problem," director Dale Neslin said.

The Ellsworths say they approached Noble Energy and Anadarko Petroleum -- the two companies that operate the nearby wells -- and begged for help. They say the companies initially refused to do anything. But, at the urging of the Oil and Gas Commission, they have now agreed to put in a water treatment system at the home.

Aimee Ellsworth is still worried though. She wonders if there are other homes impacted.

"We need to have something done for us, but, we also need to find out how far reaching it is."

She says she has developed chronic health problems and is undergoing testing to determine if the natural gas is to blame.

Meanwhile, the Oil and Gas Commission says it will continue to search for the cause of the leak.

It's not the first time natural gas has seeped into a water supply. The commission says there are about 38,000 active wells in Colorado and there have been a couple dozen other instances of natural gas leaking into a homeowner's water over the last 10 years.

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