Gunnison River flows to be temporarily affected by orphan well project

AUSTIN, CO—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Uncompahgre Field Office, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and State of Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), is plugging an abandoned carbon dioxide well on the banks of the Gunnison River in Delta County. The well site is within the boundaries of the BLM-managed Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (NCA) and located approximately one-mile upstream of the Austin bridge. The reclamation work is scheduled for February 19 through February 24.

“It was confirmed that carbon dioxide is leaking from the old Billstrom Brothers well, which was probably drilled in the 1930s,” Gunnison Gorge NCA Manager Karen Tucker said. “Along with the CO2 gas, salt water is being brought to the surface and draining into the Gunnison River.” The well reclamation project will reduce salt loading to the Gunnison/Colorado River system.

To accommodate safe access for heavy equipment crossing the Gunnison River to the well site, flows in the main stem of the river will be temporarily reduced to 300 cubic feet per second (cfs). Combined with the North Fork flow of approximately 400 cfs, flows at the project site will be at about 700 cfs. The river crossing route has been field inspected, and no dredging or filling will be required. Permission from private surface owners has been obtained.

The BLM Uncompahgre Field Office’s current land use plan directs the closure and reclamation of abandoned wells, and the Gunnison Gorge NCA Resource Management Plan, finalized in 2004, identifies plugging the Billstrom well as a priority project. Reclaiming the Billstrom well will improve both the visual character of the area and mitigate human health and safety issues associated with the well.

For additional information, contact Dennis Murphy at (970) 240-5342 or Lynn Lewis at 970-240-5305 at the BLM Uncompahgre Field Office.

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