Whitewater-Area Residents, Ignored by Mesa County Commissioners, Still Suffer from Frackwater Odors, Illnesses

The Mesa County Comissioners (Cartoon: Douglas J. Monroe)

The Mesa County Commissioners (Original cartoon by Douglas J. Monroe)

On November 23, 2015, residents of Whitewater, Colorado submitted a letter to Mesa County Planning Department and the County Commissioners asking for permanent relief from the odors and health problems they have been suffering from Alanco Energy Services’ Deer Creek frackwater disposal facility.

Residents of the Kannah Creek, Bridgeport Road and the greater Whitewater areas have formed a community advocacy group called the Whitewater Community Alliance. They have complained to the County since 2013 of loss use of their property due to the noxious odors emanating from the Deer Creek facility.

Alanco Energy Services' Deer Creek Frackwater Disposal Facility near Whitewater, Colorado

Alanco Energy Services’ Deer Creek Frackwater Disposal Facility near Whitewater, Colorado

Residents report getting headaches, sore throats, nosebleeds, nausea, asthma attacks and malaise when the odors engulf their properties. The smell and accompanying illnesses are worst at times of high humidity, in the late evening and early morning hours. People who have visited the area surrounding Alanco’s waste pits describe an unbearably strong, metallic-excrement odor and complain of sore throats lasting hours to days after the visit.

Mesa County residents obtained 500 signatures on a petition asking the Commissioners to either force Alanco to permanently remedy the odors or revoke the company’s Conditional Use Permit to operate the facility.

So far the Commissioners have not addressed the request, nor have they scheduled a hearing to review Alanco’s conditional use permit or taken any other concrete steps towards remedying the situation.

In the meantime, Mesa County residents continue to suffer, get sick and lose property values because of Alanco’s hazardous waste evaporation facility.

  10 comments for “Whitewater-Area Residents, Ignored by Mesa County Commissioners, Still Suffer from Frackwater Odors, Illnesses

  1. That the voters should choose the politicians and not the politicians the voters. Barack Obama (SOTU, 2016)

    I don’t expect that you would listen to me, I hope that you will listen to your own. It’s not the messenger, it is all about the message. And I’ve been screaming it from the rooftops, not since Barack Obama was elected, but well before that at the genesis of the Tea Parties. Want to own your own politics, your own country? Then you’ll have to take it back from both political parties. Just let me know when you’re ready to help.

    • No response, Is there anybody back there? Are you waiting for me to say something you agree with? Or perhaps disagree with? Do you believe that corporations are people? I’m Tea Party, and I don’t! See, I have no problem showing you mine. But then, I’m not a Republican. I’m just Tea Party. Do you know what that means? Or has someone told you what that means? Well yeah, me too. The people that told you that and told me that just love the sound of crickets. Because that means nobody’s talking.

    • “Wonder how many of the signatories voted in the last general election? “

      A point well taken, with the understanding that a large portion of the voting demographic no longer see voting as a solution, because they recognize that it’s not their choice that they are voting for. The choice belongs to the political party. A better question might be how many people that vote, vote for the lesser of two evils?

      The people that have dropped out are not lazy and they’re not ill informed. They have just come to the conclusion that their vote doesn’t matter, doesn’t count. The solution is accountability. Not to the political parties. We already have that. But rather to the people; that’s what is missing.

      And the solution to that is available to all. Do not vote for the incumbent, the career politician or either party’s anointed. Oh, I will assure you that we’ll still get bad apples, crony capitalists and the purveyors of the nanny state. But what will change is that the people (not the political parties) will be the decider’s.

      And when the country is not going in a direction that the people see as beneficial to them, they will possess the tool necessary for a course correction. This is a very simple idea. It is the foundation that this nation was built upon. And it has slipped from our grasp. And we desperately need to take our country back.

      Suggested reading; that portion of George Washington’s farewell speech to Congress that deals with “unscrupulous men” political parties and “unjust dominion”. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp

      Together, we can!

      • I guesMs Landman,

        I guess we will,have to agree to disagree on this one. Last I looked we still have the right to write in whomever we wish.,I foresee an overwhelming such move if Bernie Sanders does not get Democratic nomination. As far as not voting for the incumbent, doesn’t that make one part of the problem if one is doing so without any logical reasoning? If we look for perfection in life we shall be disappointed many, many times over. Having said that must say I am in favor of term limits.

        Rob

        • Gee, I never thought of that; write in Bernie Sanders; what a great idea. You obviously haven’t felt the “Bern” yet, but you will. Sounds like a plan, hope everyone will stick to it.

  2. Oh my God, are you telling me that our county elected officials are not listening to the people? Oh my God? Right here in the happy valley? Oh my God! When did you first notice this trend? It sounds as if this area is becoming a target rich environment for Tea Party recruitment.

    And the Tea Party has noticed, because we listen, because we are your neighbors, because this is our home. We listen to you on facebook, at your websites, when you tweet. We know your issues, because our members are also your members, and as important as our issues are, they are not the source of our problems.

    We are the source of our problems, because we continue to elect those who choose to be deaf, because they know that they are not accountable to you, to us, for their election. And the political parties have their ear. Do not vote for the party’s anointed, the career politician, or the incumbent! Follow that rule and their hearing will improve. And so will your voice.

    We’re your Tea Party and that’s what we’re about, and that’s what we’ve always been about. We do not accept funding from any political party or special interest. We are funded entirely by our membership, and we always have been. We have members who are Independents, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Native American, Black, White, Asian and Hispanic, etc, etc. We don’t adopt agendas of any flavor, because we have one of our own. Our goal is to eradicate the scourge of political deafness.

    And that’s what we mean when we say; “We’re taking our country back”. We are of the people, by the people and for the people. And we always have been. We are GJResult.Tea Party

Leave a Reply to American Patriot Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *