D-J Basin Operators Work In Harmony With Local Communities By Tim Beims and Colter Cookson DENVER-The law doesn't stop at the county line and geology doesn't change according to city limits. The same formations that hold oil and gas accumulations in the subsurface far beneath pastures, corn fields and wide-open stretches of countryside also extend below busy airports, bustling city centers and residential neighborhoods. Drilling, completing and producing horizontal wells in urban areas brings extra operational considerations, and oil and gas companies often go far above and beyond applicable regulatory requirements to ensure reserves are developed in the safest and most environmentally responsible manner possible. Nowhere are interactions between the industry and citizens more essential than in the Denver-Julesburg Basin. The D-J is certainly no stranger to exploration and production activity. The giant Wattenberg Field in Weld County, Co., was discovered in 1970 and saw its first horizontal well in 2009, after which it quickly emerged as the core area for laterals in the Niobrara and Codell formations. Weld now has 20,000 oil and gas wells, more than any other county in Colorado. 36 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER