Galeton Elementary School will remain closed Friday as emergency crews and Chevron officials worked through the week at the Bishop Well in Weld County. Local officials held a community meeting on Thursday night to discuss the situation.
The Galeton Fire Department first headed to the scene on Sunday around 5:50 p.m. for an undisclosed incident. Emergency crews called for an evacuation of those living near the facility at WCR 72 and WCR 51. Classes were called off Monday at Galeton Elementary School, as it sits on the edge of the evacuation zone.
While only about 12 people had to evacuate, the school which houses around 1,900 remained closed for the entirety of the week. The school, which is part of the Eaton School District, posted on its website on Thursday, assuring parents that they will reopen on Monday if possible.
UPDATE 4/7/25 2:20 p.m.: Galeton Elementary School will remain closed on 4/8/25 as crews from Chevron continue to work on controlling the release at the Bishop Well south of Galeton, CO. Well control experts have been mobilized and are on location to assess the situation and take鈥�
— weldgov (@weldgov)
The well is owned by Chevron, which had officials at Thursday night鈥檚 meeting. Others in attendance included the Weld County Office of Emergency Management.
The exact issue at the Bishop Well has not been released but Weld County officials said the well mostly released water but also contains oil and gas. At the meeting, they said they were able to contain it.
At the same meeting, locals came out to voice their frustrations.
"It's absolutely crazy that they couldn't figure out how to stop it," said Galeton resident Tony Ranalli. "The engineers are smart. They had a plan in place. I don't know why they couldn't follow through on that plan quicker."
The EPA has been on site as well as officials monitor air quality.
Weld County 911 sent out an emergency alert Sunday night.
— 9NEWS Denver (@9NEWS)
鈥淥ur priority remains the safety and security of our neighbors, our workers and the environment. As a precaution, residents within a half mile of the well pad remain relocated,鈥� said a statement from Weld County.
Anyone with livestock in the area should monitor their animals and have them checked by a veterinarian.
A hotline has been set up for those impacted. That can be reached at 877-359-1285.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect Thursday's meeting.
