'Unprecedented': Cause determined of oil well blowout in northern Colorado

GALETON, Colo. — A state energy agency is calling a blowout at a Chevron-operated oil well in Weld County an “unprecedented” incident.

The blowout occurred April 6 at the Bishop Well near Galeton in northeast Colorado. According to the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC), the incident involved a failure of the well’s internal safety systems, leading to an uncontrolled release of water, crude oil and gases.

“Basically what happened was a failure of the designed well barriers — and a loss of control over the pressure within the well bore,” said Kristin Kemp, ECMC’s community relations manager. Kemp described the event as a “very rare and unprecedented situation.”

The uncontrolled release lasted five days before it was contained.

As the blowout unfolded, about a dozen families in the area were evacuated. Among them was Kiana Cruz, who shared her frustration during the evacuation.

“We just want to be home, and we’re ready for some answers, hopefully,” Cruz said.

Condensate and crude oil spewed onto surrounding properties, and cleanup efforts have involved environmental testing and remediation. Kemp said that cleanup processes differ depending on what materials were impacted.

“Soil versus fence versus a roof has different remediation practices,” she said.

Chevron is responsible for cleanup operations, which remain ongoing under the supervision of ECMC.

“We hold Chevron accountable to our remediation standards – and how that occurs is lots of testing, lots of remediation and then testing again,” Kemp said.

Though residents, including Cruz and her neighbors, have since returned to their homes, ECMC confirmed the remediation work is not complete.

“There is still more remediation to take place – so until the remediation tests meet our thresholds of cleanup, remediation will continue,” Kemp said.

The agency continues to update its public reports online to keep residents informed of cleanup progress. Officials also encourage those affected to reach out directly with concerns or questions.

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