To continue our mission of producing energy in a safe and responsible way, Great Western is implementing the reclamation process in Adams County on the York G-1 well.

The York well is a candidate for the reclamation process due to its age, design, proximity to the Ivey Pad, and its promise of environmental restoration with reclamation. The York well is an older vertical well in Thornton that was last reclaimed in 2005, before horizontal wells were introduced in Colorado in 2010. Due to the nature of vertical wells, Great Western is taking extra precautions to review and reclaim this well, which is no longer producing gas and oil, to verify it meets the most up-to-date regulations.

Great Western is #CommittedtoColorado and is dedicated to the safety of the communities in which we live and work.  By bringing the York reclamation site current with today’s standards, we will continue to protect both our neighborhoods and natural resources, furthering our mission of producing energy in a safe and responsible way to improve people’s lives.

The project schedule of the York G-1 well is subject to change with every reclamation phase. Please check back for updates.

Great Western strives for excellence as the state’s most responsible and accountable producer of natural gas and oil, which is why we work to exceed the standards of any regulations for the safety of Colorado people and communities. While reclaiming the York well, Great Western will exceed state requirements to ensure the safety and well-being of the community.

Ways in which we exceed the already-strict COGCC requirements in the reclamation process:

• Excess cement over producing formations
• Courtesy plugs
• Excess cement coverage over groundwater (even potential groundwater)
• Multiple plugs/barriers between productive formation and groundwater

Additionally, we conduct annual contractor safety training to ensure that all of our contractors understand and implement Great Western’s environmental, health, and safety standards. We meet proactively with local emergency response personnel for transparent and effective communication and coordination. Cumulatively, Great Western employees receive over 1,000 hours of safety training annually including industry-specific best practices, OSHA requirements, and hazard identification and control. This has led to Great Western employees working over 500,000 hours without an OSHA recordable injury or lost time incident.

Community members near the reclamation process can expect many things as equipment moves in and out of the area. While you may see a tall rig operating over the basketball court, there is not actually any drilling taking place. In fact, this is when crews are working to isolate the zones that produce oil and gas. All work will be conducted throughout the day. There will be no vibrations, sounds or noises outside of what you would typically hear during a normal construction project. While you can expect similar noises to a construction site, such as beeping or some heavy equipment, work on this project is strictly limited to standard daylight hours (typically 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to minimize any disturbances.

Below is an example of a site being reclaimed and restored to its natural state. Watch the video for a better idea of what you can expect in this process:

Great Western is dedicated to going above and beyond in serving the communities in which we live and operate, therefore we believe it is imperative to educate the public on the reclamation process.

Read more about the reasons and benefits of the reclamation process at this link.

Follow Great Western on LinkedIn and Facebook for more updates regarding the York well and Ivey Pad.

Questions or concerns? Please call or email Great Western’s Community Relations Department at (720) 319-7989 and community@gwp.com.