Sleep has become optional for some families near Aurora Reservoir, where a sudden, low droning sound has started cutting through the quiet overnight. Neighbors say the hum is new, unnerving, and likely tied to nearby fracking operations associated with the Lowry Ranch project. A homeowner’s audio file captured the noise in the early hours of March, and residents say the late-night racket is chipping away at their rest and their nerves. For locals who have already spent years organizing against new wells around the reservoir, the drone feels like one more worry in a growing list.
In a recording shared with CBS Colorado, a bedroom microphone picks up a long, low-frequency hum that neighbors say has jolted them awake more than once. Colin Westerfeld told the outlet he has been roused “about 5 to 10 times” in the last month, with the noise sometimes hitting around 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. He said it has kept him up for 60 to 90 minutes at a stretch. The recording’s digital timestamp shows it was made on March 3, 2026, at 3:54 a.m., according to the station’s reporting.
“This is something I’ve never heard in six years, and it’s loud,” Westerfeld told CBS Colorado. Neighbors say they have started cranking up white-noise machines just to make it through the night and are openly wondering whether wells tied to Civitas’ Lowry Ranch project are behind the disturbance. Civitas has previously said it would comply with state and county noise regulations and has highlighted modern technologies it uses to limit impacts, according to the outlet.
What is behind the noise?
The Lowry Ranch Comprehensive Area Plan won approval from the state’s Energy and Carbon Management Commission in August 2024, clearing the path for dozens of new wells across the ranch east of Aurora, CPR News reported. Opponents and local officials warned that the plan sites operations near homes, schools, and the reservoir and have raised alarms about air quality, truck traffic, and possible effects on the nearby Lowry Landfill Superfund site…