VIDEO Flammable Tap Water Fires up Fort Lupton, Colorado Homeowners

Source: Jordan Steffen – The Greeley Tribune – Colorado

Lighting water on fire sounds like a magic trick, but for some Fort Lupton residents who can perform it in their own kitchen sink, it’s not very entertaining.

Amee Ellsworth and her husband have spent the past five months hoping that their water, which is contaminated with natural gas, does not cause their home to explode. After learning of the Ellsworths’ bizarre concern, at least one more person living near Fort Lupton has discovered her home may be in the same situation.

After learning about the Ellsworths’ water, Renee McClure, who lives with her family about half a mile from Ellsworth, took a flame to her faucet. The water ignited.

“My kids have been drinking that water,” McClure said.

She said her family and their livestock consume 200 gallons of water a day.

Water tests conducted last October confirmed the Ellsworths’ water well was being contaminated by natural gas, Amee Ellsworth said. Flames as high as three feet ignite when she holds a cigarette lighter next to water flowing from her faucet.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission performed the October tests on the Ellsworths’ water. Dave Neslin, acting director for the commission, said tests indicate the water is contaminated from a natural gas well, but the source has not been confirmed. Eight natural gas wells are located in the area surrounding the Ellsworths’ country home.

McClure said she was upset that she was not notified when the commission discovered the water was contaminated.

Ellsworth said she is frustrated with the way the matter has been repeatedly ignored.

“I’m ready to make fliers and go door to door,” she said.

Ellsworth and McClure’s water wells tap into an aquifer that probably provides water for as many as a hundred homes, Ellsworth said.

Ellsworth worries that natural gas will build up in her home and explode after a spark, she said. She showers in the dark to avoid switching on the light and inadvertently cause a spark.

Dark showers are not the only negative effect. The contaminated water makes Ellsworth’s home nearly impossible to sell. Her homeowner’s insurance will likely be canceled, she said.

“I’m a hostage in my own home,” she said.

The state’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is continuing its investigation. It is also working with the two companies responsible for natural gas wells in the area, Noble Energy and Anadarko.

Spokespeople from Noble Energy and Anadarko declined to answer questions about the incident but said they were concerned for the families’ health and working to solve the problem.

Today, Ellsworth will meet with representatives from both gas companies, according to Neslin. Ellsworth said Anadarko has made no contact with her. Noble Energy has offered to install a water treatment unit at Ellsworth’s home, she said.

Ellsworth, however, worries that a water treatment unit is not a long-term answer. After consulting Boulder GNC Water Well, Ellsworth worries that the natural gas will continue to vent from the ground and accumulate in her home.

Neslin said he does not know how many homes may have contaminated water, but encourages anyone who thinks they might have problems concerning their well water to contact the commission.  

To contact the commission

To contact the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, call (303) 894-2100

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