·

Louisiana sinkhole – Crude oil in cavern and sinkhole being removed, evacuation order remains

louisiana-sinkhole-crude-oil-in-cavern-and-sinkhole-being-removed-evacuation-order-remains

Texas Brine Co. of Houston began removing crude oil trapped in a failed company salt cavern inside the Napoleonville Dome in northern Assumption Parish, company and government officials said on Wednesday, October 17, 2012. The state Office of Conservation approved the removal plan on Tuesday. The plan to remove crude oil from the cavern follows the Louisiana Office of Conservation Commissioner Jim Welsh’s order last week saying that the cavern caused the sinkhole.

The sinkhole is located between Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou and was found on the morning of August 3, 2012 leading to a mandatory evacuation of 150 homes. The evacuation order remains in place.

Texas Brine workers began pumping brine through an observational well that had been drilled recently to find the cause of a 4.2-acre sinkhole nearby. The observational well provides access to the salt cavern the company had been using.

“Every barrel (of crude) taken out is a barrel (of brine) going in,” said John Boudreaux, director of the Assumption Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Patrick Courreges, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources spokesman, said the replacement brine will be used to maintain stable pressure in the cavern.

State, parish and company officials said no solid estimates are available on how much oil is in the cavern.

Salt dome vent well and sinkhole profile map

 

Assumption Parish – Operational situation summary

(as of October 15, 2012 – full report here)

Emergency management:

– Parish Emergency Declared – 19 June 2012
• Extended 30 days on 19 July 2012
• Extended 30 days on 17 August 2012
• Extended 30 days on 14 September 2012
• Extended 30 days on 12 October 2012
– State Emergency Declared – 3 August 2012
– LA Hwy 70 Open for traffic
– Mandatory Evacuation still in effect
– Security plans in place to secure slurry area
– Parish continues blog to inform residents
– Texas Brine issuingg financial assistance for residents – St. Joseph the Worker Church Hall in Pierre Part – HOTLINE 1-877-281-7311
– Facilitating the askGOHSEP@la.gov for questions
– Public Briefing to be discussed and scheduled
– Isaac Isaac Recovery in progress Recovery in progress

Assumption Parish – Scientific situation summary

(as of October 15, 2012 – full report here)

   USGS:

– Source of seismic activity estimated between 200 and 600 meters deep
– Continuing to monitor seismic activity at the six seismograph locations
– USGS reported limited seismic activity—average of one tremor a day—direction NW of sinkhole and other side of the pipeline right-of-way—Dr. Horton stated the science behind the recent events does not suggest a heightened level of risk at this time.
– USGS confirms no seismic activity in the area of the butane caverns
– Representative of the science group discussed dome mechanics and surveys for investigatory well with representative of USGS and Sandia National Lab
– In response to Texas Brine’s assertion that region seismic activity caused their cavern cavern to be compromised USGS stated (on 25 Sept. 2012) that it is their belief to be compromised, USGS stated (on 25 Sept. 2012) that it is their belief that the seismicity is a consequence of the collapse of the cavern, and not the cause of the collapse of the cavern and the formation of the sinkhole

  Scientific Workgroup theories of cause:

• Salt Dome moving – natural migration of gas
• Failed cement casing in OXY #3 well
• Cavity Cavity Failure Failure
• Salt / Caprock falling from top of the cavern
– Natural
– Man-made made (including penetration into sediments by cavern) (including penetration into sediments by cavern)
• Gas storage cavern connections, communications by fractures
• Low permeability seepage of gas into OXY #3 (source unknown)
• Regional Regional Tectonic activity (movement on growth faults) Tectonic activity (movement on growth faults)
• A combination of above events

Sources: theadvocate.comedsuite.com

Share:

Commenting rules and guidelines

We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules:

  • Treat others with kindness and respect.
  • Stay on topic and contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way.
  • Do not use abusive or hateful language.
  • Do not spam or promote unrelated products or services.
  • Do not post any personal information or content that is illegal, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these rules. By commenting on our website, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Thank you for helping to create a positive and welcoming environment for all.

5 Comments

  1. You guys only notice what is in front of you nose. . .this has been an ongoing saga. . .with the US and the enviroment. 500 mountains down for coal and people with black drinking water . ..who cares? It’s a blood letting monopoloy machine. . .the government. I truly feel sorry for the hapless animals it continues to prey upon. . . and of course the prey upon of American citizens. . .wonder what this land mass will be called a few decades from now? I hate the USDA and the needless cooperation with mass murder of animals. . .the goverment is criminal. . .simple as that. How many horse slaughter factories are there? Gosh. . .it’s an endless mockery on land use for usury idols and blood money brought to you by. . .

  2. @adexter, I agree friend, the human race is out of control. We’re destroyer the earth and everything on it including ourselves through science and religion. The greatest gift science can give us is a means to destroy ourselves and the greatest gift religion can give us is an excuse to use the means of science.

  3. Any 1 can confirm I did not get my degree here, but umm, For as much as I did do I need to comment here …”Dr. Horton stated the science behind the recent events does not suggest a heightened level of risk at this time”. Is he willing to put his practice on the line to support his words? Bold statement folks! Many have known for a while now that something EXTREMELY BAD had begun, and is continuing: I betcha compounding;. Without order from the Government that we know of, they decided on their own to remove the oil? WOW must be EXTREMELY SERIOUS then. Oooops. Who is going to pay for all that? Someone’s shares should drop I suspect. What about the permanent damage to the environment? Drinking water? Everything is a mess there. Nearby quakes not affecting the sinkhole? Any thing that can be vibrated can be moved/cracked regardless of mass. I pray to God that Butane well does not spark out. How far away. 1500ft? A “par 5”? Time is our enemy now as we enter a heavier weather season. 🙁 So far, without a degree, any one see that this was bad science. Look at the locations they put these things, regardless their reasons and claims, and ask yourself this. OK, we have all these reports about the salt domes holding project proposals. We see all this info you put before us, but what we need to know is, what happens when there is a unforeseen coastal problem and all this stuff gets out into the gulf, in all the ground water, or the domes collapse? Is there no where else you guys can put this stuff with out it being on the edge of the ocean LOL 1 fricken error and we all pay. The company will run insurance claims. People have permanent loss’s, That section of the planet destroyed. Bad science man. That’s caveman science. A “universally supreme” thinking scientist would never take those risks cause he is smarter. He know that if there could be a problem he would avoid it, cause when and if it happens it is always too late. Always. Wanting to be the top dog is the problem too. Greed. Profit driven. Shareholders. It is better in our society to be the biggest no1 richest Company, WAY more than it has consideration of the people or the planets long term ability to survive. Honestly this once very beautiful planet is rapidly turning into a rotten muddy soup hole. They are spraying our air with chemicals to make clouds to cool us down. GMO food is destroying more than we are being told. New study 100% Canadian women affected in fetus. Major cancer relations in animals and so far all animals tested in 3rd generations could no longer reproduce. Infertile. We are allowing ourselves to be wiped out. Ground water is being destroyed. Reports from all over. Aluminum thousands of times higher than normals in air, barium and other stuff. Methane coming out of the ground at rates never thought of before. We’re out of control. Look at our vote’s. We always have the exact same parties to try again and again. it is always the same people over and over again with a different front person. Who takes their orders..LOL. We need help.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *