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To: Serenity Ridge Metro District Board Members

Reject Leasing Serenity Ridge Common Areas

Civitas is asking us to lease our mineral rights so that they can build fracking pads near our homes and near our reservoir. Each pad contains approximately 18 fracking wells and the closest pad will be 1400 feet away from our reservoir. We strongly request that the board reject signing away our common area mineral rights.

1. We are in a time of drought and our reservoirs are projected to be below 50 percent capacity by April 2023. Each well can use approximately 580,000 barrels of water to function. The entire CAP will use ~95,120,000 barrels or ~3,995,039,945 gallons. Clean water is a precious and limited resource that must be protected.

2. Fracking releases Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Nox into the atmosphere which, when combined, produces ozone. Known health effects of VOCs, as defined by the EPA, are:
- Eye, nose and throat irritation
- Headaches, loss of coordination, and nausea
- Damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system
- Some organics can cause cancer in animals
- Some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.

Known health and environmental effects of Nox are:
- Irritation of airways in the respiratory
- Aggravate respiratory diseases like asthma
- NO2 and other NOx interact with water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the atmosphere to form acid rain
- Creates hazy air, which is difficult to see through

EPA on Nox - https://www.epa.gov/no2-pollution/basic-information-about-no2

EPA on Voc - https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quality

3. Fracking may have a negative impact on property values and homeowner insurance policies, could increase risk of property damage, and opens the door for liabilities that are hidden and/or misrepresented.

Why is this important?

Why is this important?
It seems that communities are being led to believe that fracking will be a golden goose while the real economic, human, and environmental impacts are being downplayed using tactics similar to the tobacco industry. Consider who would be impacted by the immediate and long-term adverse effects. We are concerned for our health, our reservoir, and our community and refuse to be the next Hinkley, Dimock, or Flint. We want clean water. We want clean air.

Updates

2022-12-25 12:47:30 -0500

50 signatures reached

2022-11-25 09:35:12 -0500

25 signatures reached

2022-11-22 18:33:23 -0500

10 signatures reached