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A� dfln. vered Development brings dollars, headaches, officials say By MIKE McKIBBIN The Daily Sentinel BATTLEMENT MESA — While natural - gas development brings in millions of tax dollars, be prepared for problems, Garfield County officials told their Delta County counterparts last week. County commissioners and staff talked about the effects they've experienced to help Delta County prepare for potentially 600 coal -bed methane gas wells in the near future. Western Garfield County is home to hundreds of conventional natural -gas wells and a handful of coal -bed methane wells from Silt to Parachute. Planning Director Mark Bean is Gar- field County's local governmental designee with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conserva- tion Commission, which oversees natural - gas development in the state. "Where the state regulations cover an issue, you're going to have a tough time addressing it yourselves," Bean said. Garfield Commissioner Larry McCown said while the gas industry isn't perfect, "it's been amazing to see some of the changes recently, mostly due to new (oper- ator) ownership." "The county around here used to look like the NBC peacock, with tanks painted all kinds of different, bright colors," Mc- Cown said. "Now they're all in darker earth tones. But you can't totally disguise the fact that a well is there." The gas industry is very important eco- nomically to the county, McCown said, with close to $202 million of the county's assessed valuation due to gas operators. "That's nothing to sneeze at," he said. "We'd be looking at property tax hikes if they weren't here." McCown's col- league, Commission- er John Martin, urged Delta officials an to "get more involved with your (local gov- ernmental designee)." "Right now, be- cause (Bean) is so busy with planning matters, he can't track royalties and keep up with all the permits we get," Martin said. "We've asked the drillers for annual drilling plans for aqu.ife CHRISTOPHER TOMLINSON/The Daily Sentinel Mackley has had around a dozen wells drilled on his two years, but we've never seen one. I think we need to be more involved so we know what's ha�l�t�txing. > d Silt -area land- owner Beth Day - The dynski urged Delta County to hire a full-time local govern- mental designee. "Right now, we have a really difficult time finding out who to talk to and get a re- sponse," she said. "I think it's important you have someone so citizens have someone to talk to. I'm lost here, trying to find answers. We need some help. The citi- zens are getting angry." Good baseline data on the condition of county roads before drilling begins is cru- cial, McCown said. "If you have a marginal road at best to begin with, they're only going to rebuild it to that condition. It's tough, too, because these trucks are on the same roads as school buses and logging trucks and you have to be fair to everyone." . McCown said people may see up to 14 trucks in a row, many weighing 80,000 pounds each, headed toward a new well r Threatto groundwater has residents boiling hot By AARON PORTER The Daily Sentinel CEDAREDGE — There's no fight like a water fight in the arid West. The fight's still brewing in Del- ta County, where angry residents are challenging plans to pump water from potentially methane- rich coal deposits on the southern flanks of Grand Mesa. "The pumping of groundwater is a key factor here and they're going to be pumping a lot of water out of what is an aquifer to a lot of people in the region," said Greg Lazear, a retired Conoco geophys- icist. Gunnison Energy Corp. is seeking five permits to explore for coal -bed methane this year. It may precede full production on 96,000 acres the company is leas- ing in a rural and forested zone roughly between Cedaredge and Paonia. "We should lower the water where we're drilling, but that should not be connected to the bulk of the water," said Tony Gale, company vice president. The company may drill up to 600 wells if the methane can be removed at a reasonable cost. Each well would last some 20 years. The Piceance Basin geologic See DEVELOPMENT, page 5A > See GROUNDWATER, page 5A > "I'm lost here, trying to fin swers. We need some help. citizens are getting angry." BETH DAYDYNSKI Silt -.area landowner RULISON RANCHER ARNOLD MACKLEY stands in front of a gas well on his property. property since he first signed a mineral rights lease in the 1960s.