“You don’t know what’s underground”

Cindy Mccormick said she and her husband didn’t hear anything about the what would happen to the well and other equipment on their land until she contacted Adams County, which told her Painted Pegasus had filed for bankruptcy.

The well, which they were told hadn’t produced in years, is right on their property line. The four storage tanks are just over their property line and on their neighbor’s land. The open pit, which has wire mesh over part of it, a shed with tanks and a tower that uses heat to separate the oil and water are all on their land.

So are the tires somebody left by the equipment. Cindy said people have dumped couches, mattresses, even a foosball table near the pump jack.

“They see all the old oil stuff and just dump it right by it,” Cindy said.

The Mccormicks had to build their house near the edge of their 37-acre parcel instead of near the middle, where they wanted to. They wanted the house as far away as possible from the well site.

The couple had to build a longer driveway and extend their line for power farther, which increased expenses. The people putting in the power line cut a pipeline, which wasn’t on records for the property.

“You don’t know what’s underground, what kind of leakage and material are under there. From an environmental standpoint and a safety standpoint, it makes me very nervous,” Cindy said.

The Mccormicks, who built their house in 2023, said they’ve been told it could be five years or longer before the oil well is plugged and the equipment removed.

“We asked the right questions and thought we were doing our due diligence,” Cindy said. “There needs to be protection, not just for us now but for the future.”