Unless you’re a vegan living off-grid, chances are you consume energy derived from oil and natural gas, use petroleum products like plastic, drink municipal water and eat farm products like milk, eggs and meat.
The industries that produce these products make our lives easier, healthier and better. Life without cheese? Not worth it. But even those who acknowledge the benefits of these industries may still be tempted to fight their presence in the community. Opponents accuse these industries of being unsafe, despite scientific findings, and otherwise loud, dirty, smelly, and inhumane. Could they be right?
Would I want to live next to a hydraulic fracturing well pad, a dairy farm, or a wastewater treatment plant? I decided to see for myself.
Over the past six months I visited a Liberty Oilfield Services well pad, the Broomfield Wastewater Treatment Plant, and Mountain View Farm. My conclusion: I would welcome their presence.
While there are certainly notorious outliers in any industry, the enterprises I visited work hard at being good neighbors. They are concerned about the well-being of people, animals and the land. In addition to meeting state and federal regulations and industry standards, these Colorado enterprises are constantly innovating to reduce energy use, noise and odor.
I’ll admit I was skeptical when I entered the wastewater treatment plant. Turns out it was cleanest spot on my field trip itinerary. All three enterprises I visited keep equipment and indoor spaces clean because dirt, muck and grime pose occupational and health hazards, but the sanitation plant took pains to be as sanitary as possible. Water sanitation technology is exciting. Exciting to nerdy people like me anyway. Sewage water is treated through several steps that involve aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The organisms break down the waste into compostable organic material and water clean enough to release into a nearby stream. The plant effectively contains the smelly stages of the process so that the neighboring houses are none the wiser of it.
Similarly, the hydraulic fracturing company I visited has employed cutting-edge technology to mitigate impacts to the community. The pump engine noise is lower than the standard set by the state. In fact, I would rather live next their well pad than a highway like U.S. 6. The noise at the well pad is lower and is temporary. First a company comes in and erects sound barriers. Then a conventional drill operator bores a hole into the earth and encases it to prevent any water from leaching into the soil or water table. Next, Liberty Oilfield Services uses high-pressure water, sand, and a thickening agent made of beans to create cracks in the deep rock to release the oil and gas. Finally an extraction company completes the well. All that remains after six months to a year of production is bit of pipe above ground. These companies are getting faster and quieter every year.
Likewise, the dairy operation I visited has significantly improved its operations since its founding 100 years ago. Sweet-tempered dairy cows spend their days chewing hay and converting it into delicious milk. The milking barn is filled with high-tech equipment that ensures the milk is kept clean from udder to milk truck to cheese factory. Dairy farmers know that contented, healthy animals produce more milk. More than that, they care about the animals in their keep, the humans they employ, and the product they sell.
For the record, no one paid me visit these industries or write this column, although I did get to milk a cow, which has been a lifelong dream. I will continue to visit industries across the state. Seeing is believing. The cure for “not in my backyard” syndrome — NIMBY — and other biased reasoning is firsthand experience.
Krista Kafer is a weekly Denver Post columnist. Follow her on Twitter: @kristakafer
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