BAYOU CORNE, LA (WAFB) -
Crews have
been given the green light to continue work on the massive sinkhole in
southeast Louisiana. There was a
flyover of Bayou Corne on Thursday to obtain new pictures of the sinkhole from
the air.
According
to the Office of Conservation, lower levels of seismic activity at the sinkhole
site have allowed work to resume. Work on the
sinkhole and the containment berm had been put on hold over the last week or so
because of concerns over a number of micro earthquakes.
According
to the Assumption Parish Police Jury, a crack developed on the
south berm, which is located south/southwest of pad three. Officials
added there is also increased seismic activity happening at the site.
At last check, the sinkhole was 26
acres in size. The president of United Brine, a subsidiary of Texas Brine, has
stated the surface could get to 50 acres but the good news is it is moving in a
southwest pattern, which is away from homes and the community.
History
of the sinkhole
The
sinkhole opened up in August 2012 and was roughly 1/24 of the size it is now.
The sinkhole formed when an underground salt cavern collapsed.
In the
past, seismic activity is reported, then the sinkhole burps up debris and then
a slough-in happens. Burps occur when air and gas from deep in the sinkhole
bubbles up. It can cause debris and an oily substance to float to the top. A
slough-in is when the sinkhole swallows trees and land that is on the edge of
the sinkhole.
Berms were
placed around the sinkhole shortly after it opened up to keep the oily, debris
filled water contained to the sinkhole area so it would not contaminate the
area bayous.
It has more
than a year since hundreds living near the giant sinkhole were forced from
their homes.
Bubbles
were spotted in Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou in June 2012. Two months later, the
ground opened up and left what is now a 24-acre sinkhole. Residents were
evacuated and the most affected residents began receiving weekly checks from
Texas-Brine in the amount of $875 per week. Texas Brine owns the salt cavern
that collapsed, causing the sinkhole.
On August
2, Gov. Bobby Jindal and Attorney General Buddy Caldwell announced the state
will be suing Texas Brine for environmental damages caused by the failed Texas
Brine cavern.
Parish and
Texas Brine officials agree the situation is far from over. 3D seismic surveys
show the sinkhole itself it beginning to slow and stabilize, but the recovery
is focused on another danger; natural gas gathering underneath a nearby
aquifer.
Copyright
2013 WAFB. All rights
reserved.
Source: Ascension Parish OEP
