Flammable Water Pours from Faucets in Colorado Home

Written by Timothy B. Hurst

A Colorado family is living in fear that their house could go up in flames at any moment. Amee Ellsworth of Fort Lupton can turn on a faucet in her kitchen or bathroom, light a match and watch as flames shoot out because natural gas from nearby wells have seeped into her groundwater supply.

Officials from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission say the gas is likely leaking from one of the nearby eight wells, but they are not sure which well yet, nor are they even sure which of the two companies—Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Noble Energy Inc.—operating in the area own it

>>Watch video of the flaming faucets

Natural gas development along Colorado’s eastern plains has picked up significantly in recent years and even though natural gas is often touted as a cleaner alternative to other fossil fuels (even by yours truly), it is not without its own set of dangers.

As GO colleague and New York Times blogger Nick Chambers said in an IM to me just moments ago, “T. Boone Pickens thinks that the US’ natural gas bounty is the work of God, but this devil sink says otherwise.”

I think Nick may have a point.

(via: KDVR-Denver)