State air pollution authorities forged an agreement to reduce ozone-causing emissions from two oil-and-gas wastewater disposal sites.

The settlement with Expedition Water Solutions includes more than $500,000 in penalties and requirements to install new pollution control and monitoring equipment at its Kersey and Platteville well sites in Weld County, according to a news release.

The company accepts water produced during drilling that is contaminated with volatile organic compounds and other chemicals, processes it and injects it deep underground, into state-permitted disposal wells.

Some of the chemicals, such as benzene, can have harmful health impacts and contribute to ground-level ozone pollution.

The division discovered emissions of volatile organic compounds that exceeded the company’s existing permits through testing at two disposal well sites in Weld County.

“We took action to protect Coloradans in a major way with this settlement,” said Michael Ogletree, director of the Air Pollution Control Division, in the release. “We recognize that some Coloradans are exposed to more pollution than others simply because of where they live. Kersey is one of those communities disproportionately impacted by pollution. The changes we’re requiring the company to make will have a transformative impact in protecting air quality for the people who live, work, learn, and play in communities near the sites.”

The division said the elimination of “hundreds of tons” of benzene and other chemicals will downgrade the facilities from “major sources” of air pollution emissions to “minor sources” under the federal Clean Air Act. Both wells are located in the Denver metro/north front range ozone nonattainment area.

The agreement states that the company must conduct regular infrared camera inspections to detect invisible vapor emissions and install new control systems to capture and reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants like benzene.

Some of the $507,325 in penalties will go toward Colorado’s general fund, and the rest will go towards the Community Impact Cash Fund created by the Colorado Environmental Justice Act. The latter funding supports the department’s Environmental Justice Grants program.

The company also agreed to pay $40,000 to the Mow Down Pollution program, which offers vouchers to small businesses within the ozone non-attainment area who replace their gas-powered lawn equipment with electric alternatives.