County issues a moratorium on commercial disposal wells for oil and gas exploration

Earlier this week, the board of commissioners approved a temporary moratorium on applications to locate commercial injection wells used to dispose of oil and gas production waste in Arapahoe County.

The temporary moratorium is in effect for six months and will give county staff time to research, analyze and select best management practices for the commercial disposal of oil and gas waste by third-party companies in Arapahoe County.

The county’s Land Development Code currently does not address commercial disposal well uses for oil and gas exploration and production waste disposal. Public Works and Development staff will use the time to address the potential impacts of such wells to citizens, agriculture operations, the environment and the county’s infrastructure.

Consideration will be given to where and what zoning districts injection disposal wells should be permitted, as well as the associated impacts to county roads from water trucks hauling water for disposal. Typically, these trucks weigh between 54,000 to 74,000 pounds and the impacts to county roads could be significant.

In addition, the county may consider impact fees so that taxpayers are not burdened with the additional maintenance costs to county roads due to increased traffic and weight of vehicles traveling to and from well locations.

For more information about the moratorium, visit the county’s website at arapahoegov.com.