What is the Lowry Ranch CAP?

The Lowry Ranch comprehensive area plan (CAP) is a proposed hydraulic fracturing project in unincorporated Arapahoe County with planned well sites north, east, and south of the Aurora Reservoir. Civitas Resources has submitted an application to lease 32,000 acres of land on a piece of state-owned property known as the Lowry Range. The Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) is accepting public comments on the Lowry Ranch CAP through May 3, 2024.

While Civitas has stated a commitment not to penetrate the subsurface under the Lowry Superfund site and to maintain the newly established setback of 3,000 feet from the Aurora Reservoir, any approved well sites would be operating in close proximity to both. Emissions of hazardous gases have been projected to reach nearly 4,000 tons over the course of 10 years. Civitas anticipates each well to be in production for 20–25 years. The environmental impacts will last much longer.

What is hydraulic fracturing, or fracking?

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a highly engineered process of injecting water, sand, and a small volume of other chemicals down a well and into the formation to increase the connection between the formation and the well. This allows faster production of hydrocarbons and a more efficient production process. After the injection is complete, the well is turned on, and most of the water that was injected is then produced back to the surface, collected, and disposed of. The sand remains inside the reservoir to keep the tiny cracks in the formation open to allow the oil and gas to flow into the well.

What’s special about this piece of land?

The property now known as Lowry Range has a deep history. Formerly the Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range, this 100-square-mile piece of public land was used for training exercises, including live munitions training, by United States Armed Forces from 1938 through 1963. Per the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, “the area contains four former Titan I missile complexes.” While the Titan missiles have all been decommissioned and removed, the land has long been under the stewardship of the state to mitigate the risk of continued potential health and safety hazards.

One specific area of Lowry Range, the Lowry Superfund site, is a federally recognized hazardous waste site. It is considered under long-term remediation by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a public letter submitted by the EPA to Civitas in May 2023, the agency stated that they were “concerned that hydraulic fracturing surrounding and underneath the site could lead to a significant unintended release of hazardous substances.”

If the well sites are on the Lowry Range, why is this organization called “Save the Aurora Reservoir”?

The nature of horizontal drilling means that operations are not restricted to the area that you see on a map of the Lowry Range. The CAP proposes drilling and pumping chemicals (fracking fluids) underneath a much larger portion of southeast Aurora, including multiple schools and neighborhoods west of the Aurora Reservoir. 

In addition to the proposed project’s close proximity to the Aurora Reservoir, residents and regulators should consider the overall impact that the Lowry Ranch CAP will have on Colorado’s continued water shortage. The City of Aurora has a stringent water management plan due to the drought-prone nature of the area. Yet the Lowry Ranch CAP states it will use an average of approximately 580,000 barrels of water for each of the 164 planned wells. In total, the proposed CAP would use 4 billion gallons of water— the equivalent of half of the Aurora Reservoir’s volume. 

The water used in hydraulic fracturing operations cannot easily be reintroduced to the water cycle. Read more about the impact of fracking on the water supply >> 

Ready to take action??
Send comment on the Lowry Ranch CAP
Send comments on the pending Cumulative Impact Rules

Sources: Civitas Community Relations; Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (1, 2); Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission; Cumulative Impacts Report for Lowry Rach CAP; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Natural Resource Defense Fund