Encana and Anadarko Shut Down Operations

Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp., shut down some of their operations in the state due to the storm that sent floodwaters into homes and businesses north and west of Denver. Encana is heeding the warnings from local officials regarding the dangerous conditions due to flooding, spokeswoman Wendy Wiedenbeck said Friday. Anadarko has shut down about 300 wells in the Wattenberg field, the company said Friday.

The Wattenberg field covers an area that includes southern Weld County and parts of Boulder, Adams, Larimer and Broomfield counties – counties that have experienced flooding, washed out roads, and evacuations in the last few days. "The safety of our communities and protection of the environment are paramount to all our operations," the company said in a statement posted on its website. Anadarko said it's also temporarily scaled back its drilling operations and will restart operations "after the weather has improved, so that our people can return to work safely."

At Encana, the company has shut in wells it operates in an area north of Denver and west of I-25 that has been hit hard by the storm. The company on Friday also closed its field office in Longmont, Wiedenbeck said. Encana has 75 employees who work out of its Longmont office, plus "a couple hundred" contractors that come in and out, she said. The company has a field-wide system that allows Encana to monitor its oil and gas wells remotely, and shut them down remotely if there are changes that indicates they need to.

Encana will send employees out to check on the locations and start mitigation efforts if needed, Wiedenbeck said. At Noble Energy Inc., indications are that things are operating normally, spokesman Jon Ekstrom said. Noble's operations are generally on the east side of I-25, which hasn't been hit by the flooding that's been seen on the other side of the highway.