ERIE, Co – A unique “photo opp” put faces to on-going fracking frustrations in Erie.
Vista Ridge neighbors have been vocal about the around-the-clock noises and smells coming from a nearby fracking site. On Saturday, dozens met at a small park at Crestview Lane and Primrose Lane for a picture -- the Pratt location in the distance.
Families present at the event told Denver7 reporter Amanda del Castillo they were fed up.
“My husband mentioned it last night. He said, 'What do you want to do? You want to just move?' I said no, I have a 14-year-old who just started high school,” Kate D’arcy said.
She and her family have lived in the area for several years. D’arcy’s family is just one of hundreds living less than1,000 feet from Crestone Peak Resources’ Pratt and Waste Connections locations.
“For me, it feels like it’s a constant attack on my overall senses,” she said.
The problem has gone on for months now.
“We’ve noticed both the smells, the vibrations, the constant noise,” D’arcy added.
“The problem is that it’s perfectly legal,” Christiaan van Woudenberg said. He can see the Pratt location from his backyard.
Legality hasn't stopped Vista Ridge neighbors.
“There have been over 900 complaints filed for the COGCC,” van Woudenberg announced to Saturday’s crowd.
We reached out to an advisor with Crestone Peak Resources who said:
“We continue to operate safely and responsibly at these locations to produce the energy we all use every day. We have been in compliance with state regulations and the Erie odor ordinance since starting our work. We do expect to wrap up completions operations in mid-November and will begin producing oil and natural gas from these wells by the end of the year.”
van Woudenberg’s response, "We may be done with this in December, but they’ll be onto the next neighborhood.”
On Saturday, dozens of neighbors posed in front of what they called "the problem."
While it’s said pictures are worth a thousand words—these neighbors are only hoping their message is worth something.
van Woudenberg added, “It’s going to affect everybody in the Front Range for years and years, and years to come."
