Entry - 07-10-08 and
07-11-08
07-10-08 Observations
DOW team sweeps the creek....
When a Cordilleran representative takes unexpected note of the presence of Division of Wildlife conducting a fish population count, on his way to a de-silting operation over on Langegger's, he advises me with a grin that iron is present in volcanic rock and there is volcanic rock on the creek bank. This was odd. I hadn't mentioned anything about the seep area, but I guess he was somehow aware of it, and perhaps this was a nod toward an explanation of the orange gunk. While I noted to him that I was unaware volcanic rock was ferrous, I advised him - in case he missed it - that volcanic rock is present all along both banks of Divide Creek.
Off we go to check out Langegger's....
Orange gunk seems to be increasing on Langegger's, near springs
More orange gunk is spotted on Langegger's place around springs. It seems to be increasing in its proliferation.
Easterly bank of main seep on Langegger's [07-10-08]
More from the easterly bank of main
seep on Langegger's [07-10-08]
The "main" seep was not considered to have extended much further North than
this point (although we know it was quite present on ours and Thompson's
properties but that location is several hundred feet downstream from this
one).
Orange gunk near an eastern spring on Langegger's [07-10-08]
Mr. Langegger also noted to me, on the 10th, that he recently discovered a couple of
puddles in the wetland area on his place just behind the "main 2004 seep", which were
bubbling. He said of course he does not know whether the bubbles are thermogenic (natural gas) or biogenic (microbial activity), but he noted
that he observed them.
Later, an EnCana environmental representative showed up and took note of the Division of Wildlife folk. We visited a while and he went on over to the main seep area where the Cordilleran representative was still conducting his work.
When I brought the DOW folk over to see the old area of the main seep, the Cordilleran representative expressed some concern (I must presume he was defending Mr. Langegger's interests) about all the people down in the area and wondered if Mr. Langegger knew about it. I must say, I'm not in the habit of trespassing nor inviting an unwelcome horde along with me. Although Mr. Langegger, years ago, gave me an open invitation to observe the seep on his property, whenever possible, I still check with him each time I visit his property. And it was by Mr. Langegger's invitation that I observed what I observed on the 3rd and on the 10th. Interestingly, this is the same representative who conducted a tour with me several weeks ago and informed me of EnCana's remediation system. Today, the information seemed more sketchy and it was tough to get a straight answer, though I asked him to clarify. For instance, I didn't realize there was benzene present in the test well associated with the big methane-killed area of non-vegetation. He directed me to data which is obviously where I will have to go for a straight answer (I do have them - and they are on-line as well - it is just one more hoop to have to jump through). I thought a tour would be sufficient, but the data will have to do the talking. Back during our remediation tour, EnCana was pressing us to sign a lease. Now, it's a different story. I don't know that he was intentionally evasive - some folks just communicate that way, and maybe it was simply my receiver.... but I need straight answers and I don't have the luxury of talking around this issue.
Off we go back North, onto our place....
New wetland area above and behind orange seep
Something else of note - the area behind the orange seep (maybe 10 feet or so above Divide Creek and nestled against the cliff), is wet in many areas. So much so that the vegetation is marsh-like. This area has never been wet before - not in the twenty years we've lived here. Some of this moisture may be leaching down and east into the black seep area as well as the orange seep area just below it to the south. This photo shows a particularly wet area seeping out under this rock.
New wetland area against cliff, behind orange seep
site. [07-10-08]
Another gunky area across the creek
I found another seep area on the south bank - just one, a medium sized one but it is located just across from where I filmed the eight-minute expression which I think is interesting. Overall it is in proximity to the main orange gunky and black-seeping area.
[07-10-08]
3 +/- minute filming of black seep area causes nausea
I filmed the black seep for a few minutes and about lost my lunch. I felt a little loopy and big-time sick to my stomach. I took it easy creek-side for a while and recovered about 30% through some deep breathing. After about three hours I felt pretty normal. I'm not into hanging around potentially toxic crap, but you know how a part of you says.... 'you need to make sure...' so, I went back and observed the seep some more. I probably will again since each time I learn something new, but I'll be as careful as possible. Given the COGCC's reluctance to really look at this phenomenon, I feel like I have to at least well-document it, even if that means getting personal with it to see if I can learn more about it. The video link below shows the active vent puking up and recirculation stuff from underground. It is terrible quality, but every time I pinch off the HI-8 onto a memory stick this happens - even though it's on a "fine" setting. Very frustrating, but maybe you can see a little of what it looks like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIrJMLkx56U
This is a still photo of the puky black seep from 07-10-08.
At least it can give you an idea of what you'll be looking at in the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY1ey-9a6ec
Entry 07-11-08.... a few new things....
Black seep area is wetter with new seemingly corrosive substances
The area of the black seep is wetter, where all along, the vent shave availed themselves along a linear depression. But, now, there is this white stuff associated with it - like a crusty salt. In one area, the white stuff appears more opaque almost milky and behind a boulder it appears to have dried where it seemed to have been flowing. This white salty looking stuff often appears with orange crusty stuff and what looks like black burned areas on the sand. Interestingly, the white stuff is on some of the sandstone boulders near this black seep area, and where it is in contact with the sandstone, it appears to be decomposing the stone. The effect makes this white stuff appear corrosive. I've put pictures up on a new page (page 3) "Divide Creek Seep 2008 three".
These sandstone boulders rest against the cliff's North face. Just in front of them is a depression where the black seeps are occurring. A substance seems to be attacking and corroding some of the sandstones. [07-11-08]
This is the depression where the black seep vents are located [07-10-08]
Here is a normal-looking sandstone boulder (upper right) next to one that is undergoing deterioration and is covered to a great extent by this white substance. [07-11-08]
This heavily corroded sandstone boulder is seriously deteriorating. [07-11-08]
This white stuff is a crust on on the soil. You can see in the diagonal middle ground where it appears thicker and more opaque than other areas and it seems to have been flowing across the ground in rivulets - now dried. [07-11-08]
Some of the substance is orangish and even burnt-looking. Here is some of it surrounding plants. [07-11-08]
Another area where there seems to be a wild mix of liquids running on the ground. The crust is dried, but the soil beneath is still quite moist. Weird. [07-11-08
Some of the white with black and orange encrusted on the damp soil. [07-11-08]
More of it across a larger area. These areas transition in day-long periods between quite wet and almost dry. [07-11-08]
This is a bit of the crusty stuff atop one of the rocks in the ponded areas where the orange was flourishing before recently being washed out. [07-11-08]
Another dead crawdad just down from intense orange seeping area. This photo was taken during DOW's fish count. [07-10-08]
Burning skin
Having grown weary of picking cheat grass seed out of my socks, I resorted to flip flops (not advisable footgear for the boonies). I stepped to the north of the black seep and the ground squished eight or so inches in and sucked my flipper off. It also exposed my foot to the gassiness that off-vented as a result of the sudden depression, and of course the moist mud. The under side arch of my foot which was exposed only a second or so to the soil burned for a few seconds after withdrawing it. I didn't wash it off right away since I was busy retrieving my flipper - but I did so later in the creek. The burn, went away on its own. Seems like this is some pretty nasty stuff whatever it is.
Foam or soapy-looking substance
Something else. I noticed some foamy stuff collecting in a couple of places along the bank and thought about the fact that industry uses surfactants or soap in their fracing operations, but I quickly disregarded this as a possible contributor because we've seen foamy stuff in the creek before - a LOT of it briefly in 2004 after the seep began. But, still, sometimes foam collects in eddies and stuff. I didn't think much more about it. But, then I noticed it again this evening - it hadn't moved from the same spot where it was yesterday, though it was just off of the main current in the creek. I got down to take a closer look and was shocked to see thick nasty orange gunk glommed onto the bank just above the foam on an overhang of bank. This isn't some stagnant pond. This is an area adjacent to the main current of the creek. Interesting.
Under the bank of the orange seep area we found a lot more glommed on orange gunk. This glop of foam (bottom left) was also present. This area is just off the main current of West Divide Creek. [07-11-08]
Here is the same area zoomed in.... [07-11-08]
This photo shows the biofilm along the creek bank beside the rushing water, fairly close to the same area above. The funky thing bottom right is just the camera cord. [07-11-08]
Geology behind the seep....
This is the cliff behind the seep area. This geology is extremely fragile and the USGS has noted that it is highly faulted with vertical faults. In my opinion, it is too fragile to be drilled with the current operational and production protocol. But, of course, my opinion doesn't matter. EnCana is currently drilling the Juniper Group site just over this ridge and a little left (North) [07-10-08].
Burned-looking leaves and distressed cedars
Later that evening, we observed a kind of broad, light, die-off of vegetation. This year has been moist and not all that hot, so to see the leaves of the oaks appear burnt was unusual - except for the fact that this very thing occurred in 2004. It was and is now the weirdest thing. You expect to see certain things in a forest - bugs eating leaves, fungal growths producing misshapen limbs and whatnot, this is all part of the rhythm of forest life. But this is really weird, and different. And we've only observed it once before in the spring/summer of 2004. The leaves just have these areas of dry deadness - like they've been scorched here and there. Methane suffocates roots and can cause die-off, but maybe this has to do with a bug. However, as in 2004, when we saw vast areas of our meadow die off and linear stretches of pinion - they had been previously healthy and then suddenly died- within a week or so. Just BAM - dead. Then the beetles came. Something in the environment stresses the flora which then makes it susceptible to attack - which is nature's way of recycling and feeding the hordes. Our garden suddenly died also. First it stunted, then it died - all within a week or so. And the cedar are dying from the trunk and limbs outwardly. Interesting.
Scorched-looking oak leaves [07-11-08]
Cedar dying outwardly from branches [07-11-08]
Picture of dying oaks on our property in 2004 [08-15-04] What we are seeing now (above) looks identical to the same pattern of die-off we saw then.
Picture of distressed cedars on our property [08-15-04]. Up until 2004, we had very healthy cedars, however, there was a lot of die-off of inner leaves during the seep. Even though most of that has fallen away - leaving sparse leaves on the branch tips - now those are showing signs of the same kind of distress.