From The Boulder Daily Camera (Jennifer Kovaleski):
According to a report to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the state agency responsible for regulating the industry, Anadarko discovered the contaminated ground water and soil while trying to dig up an old pump in early December.
Anadarko had to remove 200 barrels of tainted ground water, and lab tests found benzene 900 times the amount allowed by the state…
A spokeswoman for Anadarko said the company is in the process of removing a tank battery at the site and that’s how they discovered the toxic ground water.
COGCC said it is still conducting tests to figure that whether nearby water wells were contaminated, but said these types of releases usually don’t go beyond the immediate area.