Communities Struggle To Protect Water Resources

"County and state officials, as well as environmental groups, say one prime source of the mud choking the region's streams and creeks is the construction of some 9,546 oil and gas wells in western Colorado"

In Colorado local communities historically have had little control over drilling activities that are located on nearby federal lands. Now state-enacted water quality rules covering well exploration and production have been nullified by congressional revisions to the federal Clean Water Act that will ease environmental restrictions on such activities. With drilling activity at record levels in the western part of the United States communities here are questioning whether or not be they will be able to adequately protect their water resources.