Larimer County will partner with a state grant program to plug 50 unused oil and gas wells formerly operated by Prospect Energy across the county, 10 of which are located within Fort Collins city limits.
Prospect Energy entered into a settlement agreement with Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins in 2024 for repeated violations of state regulations, including leaks at facilities, spills, air pollution and illegal flaring that occurred within county and city limits. The firm’s license was revoked and its wells were closed as part of the settlement, but according to Larimer County Principal Planner Matt Lafferty, those wells could still be prone to leaks, and the former sites still needed cleanup to improve the environmental health and safety of the community.-
“It has outdated equipment that is leaking, we have pipes that have busted, and we have various environmental issues that go on with that,” Lafferty said. “That operator was asked by the state, after numerous fines were levied against the operator, to quit operating in the state, their license was removed and their oil and gas field was abandoned, which is where we are today. This program takes care of those issues.”
Larimer County will hire a contractor to plug these 50 wells, and will be reimbursed up to $5.2 million by the State of Colorado’s Orphan Wells Program.
The county is preparing a request for proposal that it hopes to have finished by this week, eventually finding a contractor and beginning work by this summer, Laffery said. If the project goes well, work could be complete within the next 18 months to two years.
Of the 50 wells, 10 are within the city limits, and the rest are scattered throughout unincorporated Larimer County on the north side of Fort Collins.
According to county officials, plugging the wells will improve a variety of environmental factors throughout the county.
“This is going to help with air quality, this is going to help with soil health, it’s going to help with groundwater, it’s going to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Commissioner Kristin Stephens. “This is definitely a good public health news item.”
