A county at the edge of Denver, Colorado is banning all oil and gas exploration within one mile of existing water reservoirs.
Arapahoe County, where Littleton is the County Seat and Aurora is the largest city made the move in the past week after Civitas Resources announced plans for drilling in the region of the Aurora Reservoir.
The County’s Board of Commissioners voted to make changes to the Land Development Code. It came on a 5-1 vote and included a required setback of one mile from existing or planned reservoirs for all oil and gas operations.
There were other requirements too such as construction of access roads compliant with the current fire code and provision of handwashing supplies for workers at oil and gas sites.
The push for the new regulations came after Civitas Resources planned for a project called the Lowry Ranch CAP which is east of the reservoir. It sparked nearby residents to organize and protest the project.