BAYOU CORNE, LA (WAFB) -
The latest news looks worse for the
sinkhole in Assumption Parish. Everyone involved is now eyeing a second
cavern that may be too close to the Texas Brine salt dome well. But Texas Brine
reps say no one should jump to any conclusion until seismic testing is
complete.
"We need to complete the 3D
seismic data collection and marry that image with the vertical seismic
profiling data," said Texas Brine spokesperson Sonny Cranch.
It's called "Oxy Geismar 1".
Based on some of the data from seismic testing, the cavern could be dangerously
close, within 200 feet, of the salt dome wall - meaning potential trouble.
"This new information has posed
the same concern that this cavern is close to the outer wall," said John
Boudreaux, director of Assumption Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness.
Remember, it was the failure of
that first cavern - "Oxy Geismar 3" - that scientists believe caused the now
8.5 acre sinkhole near Bayou Corne.
While Texas Brine and the parish
wait for the final results of the seismic tests, Cranch says crews are working
to finish installing a total of 33 vent wells and he says the first phase of
the containment berm is complete.
"A impermeable, they call it a
geomat, which will form a waterproof barrier on the inside of the containment
berm," said Cranch. "We hope to have that work starting in the middle of next
week or the week after."
Meanwhile, 350 people remain out
of their homes under an evacuation order issued last August. Texas Brine has
been paying the homeowners since August; but many now want a buyout.
On Saturday, California-based
environmental activist Erin Brockovich will be in Bayou Corne. She and a team
of lawyers, as well as an expert who tests soil, will meet with residents
affected by the sinkhole.
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