The state health department completed its first round of airborne surveys this week, monitoring emission at major oil and gas sites in Boulder, Weld and Larimer counties.

The aerial surveys are being funded by a settlement between the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Kerr McGee, related to the 2017 explosion of a home in Firestone caused by gas seeping from a cut-off underground pipeline, officials said. Two people were killed in the explosion.

“Between these aerial survey flights, a new mobile monitoring van we’ll take possession of in August and enhanced satellite and remote sensing tools, we’re bringing precision technology to the task of monitoring for emissions,” said Garry Kaufman with the department’s Air Pollution Control Division.

“The state of Colorado takes this work seriously, and we’ve proven we’re willing to invest time and resources to ensure we’re getting it right.”

The health department will use this week’s flight data to gather data on methane emissions and prepare for a larger concentrated aerial survey effort in September and October.

This was the first of many flights scheduled to take place over the counties throughout the remainder of 2021, officials said. 

“The resulting data will inform how we approach regulating oil and gas operations and other emitting sites in Colorado,” said Shaun McGrath, director of environmental health and protection at the department.

The health department is working with the University of Arizona, Colorado State University, Scientific Aviation, the University of Colorado and the University of Maryland to conduct and analyze the surveys.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is also supporting the work with ground monitoring and inspections to verify data and monitor emissions at smaller operations, officials said.