23 Jan Comments Needed on Proposed Waste Water Pits Facility

Updated February 7, 2015 –

The Gunnison County Planning Commission is considering a proposal for three massive fracking waste water pits in Gunnison County.  Last week, CHC and dozens of concerned Gunnison and Delta County residents submitted comments to the Planning Commission urging them to deny the permit.

The Planning Commission has extended public comment to Feb. 13th.

Will you take a moment to send a public comment letter to the Gunnison Planning Commissioners asking them to deny this project?

Click here for an information sheet about the project that includes suggested talking points and requests to make in your letter.  When you send in your letter, please also send us a copy at citizenshealthycommunity@gmail.com.

This 2013 aerial imagery shows an active pit operation on private land in Gunnison County. This existing operation is located just 3 miles to the north-northwest of Paonia Reservoir. The newly proposed project by Gunnison Energy is modeled after this project. Click the image above to view high-resolution. Source: COGCC.

The proposal from Gunnison Energy calls for three newly constructed 9.24 million gallon capacity pits to hold flowback water (i.e. water that comes back up a well after drilling and fracking) and produced water (i.e. water that is produced from coal bed methane drilling) for re-use in future drilling and fracking in the area.

The location of the project is about 2.5 miles to the west of the West Muddy Creek just above Paonia Reservoir on a small piece of private land surrounded by the Gunnison National Forest.  The project is modeled after an existing pit facility, shown in the image above.

Click here to read CHC’s comments (6MB PDF) submitted to the Planning Commission urging them to deny the permit, click here for a map that shows the project area (1MB PDF), and click here for a PowerPoint presentation that Gunnison Energy gave to the Planning Commission (4.45MB PDF).