About two dozen property owners in remote northwestern Fremont County neighborhoods are fighting an Australian company that wants to explore known uranium deposits beneath their land.
The residents fear contamination of their water wells, a concern bolstered by the Fremont Conservation District’s recommendation to deny a county conditional use permit because of the potential contamination of Tallahassee Creek, which flows into the Arkansas River about 8 miles northwest of Cañon City. The 10-year permit was approved by Fremont County commissioners in October.
Some residents also are worried about the impact drill rigs, water trucks and other related traffic will have on their one-way-in-and-out road and the abundant wildlife in areas off Fremont County Road 2 west of Colorado 9.
And it created a rift in the community as residents learned that some neighbors, former area landowners and the South T Bar Property Owners Association paved the way for Australia-based Okapi Resources by selling it mineral rights and leasing surface rights for access to drill sites within its gated community. The company expects to drill about 20 exploratory wells annually for five years, according to its permit application.
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