Tremors felt 45 miles away from Bayou Corne Sinkhole!

Originally posted by qmantoo
10pm CDT - More serious problems at LA11, LA14 on the helicorder Those who understand these things please look. What is the large block at the top of LA14 etc?

helicorder 12-hour chart LA11
IRIS 24 hour chart


helicorder 12 hour chart LA14
IRIS for LA14 seems to be offline or broken link or something.

LA12 echoes the same thing but a little less

I just checked the CERI helicorders out and the heavy activity is quite normal for the daytime readings but there is some heavy activity starting at 2200 (10:00 PM) that could be important and signal more cave ins below ground. The normal heavy daytime activity usually starts at 06:00 AM and ends at 18:00 PM (06:00 PM). To see that kind of activity at night usually is bad news. All we can do is wait and watch. Time will tell.

Thanks for the info. The solar X-flares may affect it too. They should be arriving within the next 24 hours.

Today I just made a page with a weeks thumbnails for a helicorder site so we can see what has been happening.
[ Go to this page,] and click the link at the bottom, then wait a little while for the helicorder plot thumbnails to be generated and then click on one of the buttons against the helicorder ID on the left column.

reply to post by qmantoo

Really nice job on your thumbnail page, Qmantoo.

There is a new flyover posted 14 May 2012 from the policy jury blog.



I don't know what to make of that seismic activity overnight, without access to spectrograms. Maybe TA can take a look if he has time.

ETA: Check out this photo--Serious case of subsidence at this wellhead location:


I found it under the 11 May Inspection Reports at the Louisiana DNR Bayou Corne site.

What happens when that well-head goes into the sinkhole?

There are already cracks and fissures in the ground (over to the right of the pic) which are near to the edge of the water. I guess there is nothing they can do about this, but I bet they have some information about what is likely to happen when it does. Any speculations from us?

I am going off to find an image of how they drill and what they line the hole with and whether it will provide another way for the water to enter the cavern if this well-head goes under and sinks. I know that air has to get out of the pipe before water can go down, so initially it will just bubble as the air/gas comes out and the water goes down. That is after the pipe to the left breaks due to the ground sinking away.

How many other well-heads have been engulfed by the sinkhole?.

Originally posted by qmantoo
What happens when that well-head goes into the sinkhole?

There are already cracks and fissures in the ground (over to the right of the pic) which are near to the edge of the water. I guess there is nothing they can do about this, but I bet they have some information about what is likely to happen when it does. Any speculations from us?

I am going off to find an image of how they drill and what they line the hole with and whether it will provide another way for the water to enter the cavern if this well-head goes under and sinks. I know that air has to get out of the pipe before water can go down, so initially it will just bubble as the air/gas comes out and the water goes down. That is after the pipe to the left breaks due to the ground sinking away.

How many other well-heads have been engulfed by the sinkhole?.

If that wellhead is for a moderate to high pressure vent well it will present a nightmare situation if it caves in into the sinkhole and fails. Just think what it would be like to have to find the lowest breakage point and re-cap it under anywhere from 50 to several hundred feet of nasty muddy and brackish water.

On the other hand, if it is a low to no pressure access to one of the caverns it will be so small compared to the other areas where water is entering the sinkhole as to be almost inconsequential.

I cannot place this as either high or low pressure, but I think it is not functioning at the moment (see extract below from January pdf linked).

A second shallow aquifer relief well, ORW 12, was completed this past
week on the Texas Brine site and began flaring natural gas. This second
relief well was installed on the southwest corner of the work area next to the
sinkhole. However, on Friday this well plugged off and stopped venting.
Possible future use and work-over plans for this relief well will be evaluated
along with other activities as this work area and the sinkhole are monitored
as mentioned above in item #5. The other relief well on site, which was
installed in late October, has continued to vent natural gas. For the last 24
hour period, the flow rate was measured at approximately 17,000 cubic feet.

from this document 20Jan2013
backup references to ORW12 and others 10may13

this page mentions TBC2 which may be the other 'thing' out in the water in that photo
Last supplied Field Update 11Mar13 (what happened to the ones after that?)

Here are the most recent pressure readings for the wellheads in that photo:
ORW-12: (shut-in) Tubing pressure 54 psig
BC-2: Tubing pressure 54 psig, Casing pressure 10 psig
Data found here : May 15th Inspection report

Also in the remarks from the above .PDF:

ORW-33 Unable to access, road flooded, Work continues on new berm road by ORW #9, removing water from ORW#1 and planning to attempt work on ORW#2 Tuesday or Wednesday

---------------------------------------
I found the following comments in this Texas Brine daily report dated May 15 2013. It looks like new data concerning the gas in the aquifer:

Fugro, a leading data collection and interpretation company, has been retained to perform an electromagnetic (EM) survey of the MRAA in the Bayou Corne community in order to map the shallow subsurface. The EM survey was performed on 5/4/2013; A review of
preliminary and partial results from data processing done to-date was held on 05/14/2013, with
final results still pending.

This blurb is referring to a permanent microseismic geophone well for Texas Brine near Oxy-Geismar #2:

Work on building the well pad for this well, G-01, next to OG 2 wellhead location
is complete; Pile driving of 20” surface casing was completed on 5/15/2013 to a depth of 280’; The drill rig has begun to arrive on site 5/15/2013 and is expected to be erected and beginning operation late this week.

And finally at Oxy-Geismar #3:

Depressurization of OG 3A is currently on hold..... OG 3A had a wireline depth survey performed 5/10/2013 and a sample of the fill material from inside the cavern was collected and will be sent for testing. As of the 5/10/2013 depth survey there is approximately 102’ of unfilled cavern remaining.

----------
Lastly, I had no idea that the residential air-quality monitoring had been discontinued. But reading this May 15th Texas Brine Letter to the Commissioner, it sounds like monitoring by Sage Company ended in March.

Residential Air Monitoring
 Sage has been requested to suspend bimonthly residential air monitoring. Therefore,
Sage will discontinue these activities. The last event was conducted on March 26, 2013.

Maybe some other company took over, but I can't locate that info.....

There is now legislation about to go through Louisiana House and Senate to put a moritorium on all salt dome caverns until they check every single one. I am split on this one. On one hand you must check the structural integrity of each cavern. On the other end you will cripple parts of Louisiana's economy. The deep water drilling moritorium was really crippling, and I seem what happens in moritoriums. I myself lost a lot of pay in the service industry when others don't get payed.

On another note, I never knew about this story back in 1992 in a place called Wesley, Texas:
m.theeagle.com...

following on from CajunBoy's last link, here is the most crucial part of that well-written article. Lets all hope that nothing like that happens in this case.

Simply put, it was a trade off between revenue and safety. Money won.

It wasn't just mechanical failures and human errors, it was organizational failings caused by a company culture that didn't make safety paramount, didn't train its responders and dispatchers, didn't encourage safe operations and didn't provide communication training or tools for its employees. The system was loaded with opportunities for failure.

Here's a number that speaks for itself: More than 700 errors were made by operators using incorrect temperature and pressure correction factors in their cacluations at the salt dome over a 270-day period.

NTSB investigators dug deep in pursuit of making sure that the same mistakes weren't made over and over again. They recommended greater safety controls after pointing out that there were no federal regulations governing salt domes and no requirements given by state government.

That government indifference was part of the problem. It took five years, but finally the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued an advisory to operators of gas and hazardous liquid underground storage facilities: Henceforth, they were were required to create design guidelines and operation guidelines for salt domes, efforts that long ago should have been made mandatory.

The lessons learned by the industry that day live on, at least for the NTSB which still points to it as a way to learn about bad corporate culture and what happens when safety is an afterthought.

Though investigations got to the bottom of what went wrong and top management was made to publicly admit they mismanaged that site, and even though millions of dollars were paid out in settlements to those impacted by negligence, the explosion that shook Wesley and swallowed three lives can never be fully explained away.

An industry that produces the most revenue in Texas and brings in among the largest bonuses for its leaders should have been more accountable. Instead, they jotted down the 'lessons learned' and moved on down the road.

Today, there is no big memorial service like there was on the one-year anniversary. Nothing on the local newspaper's website about it. Those who survived and those who lost loved ones 20 years ago today grieve and remember in their own way, as it should be.

Found a useful factsheet on Hydrogen Sulfide gas H2S

From the pdf above

The primary route of exposure is inhalation
and the gas is rapidly absorbed by the lungs.
Absorption through the skin is minimal.
People can smell the “rotten egg” odor of
hydrogen sulfide at low concentrations in air.

However, with continuous low-level expo-
sure, or at high concentrations, a person
loses his/her ability to smell the gas even
though it is still present (olfactory fatigue).
This can happen very rapidly and at high
concentrations, the ability to smell the gas
can be lost instantaneously. Therefore, DO
NOT rely on your sense of smell to indicate
the continuing presence of hydrogen sulfide
or to warn of hazardous concentrations.

Health effects of H2S exposure Hydrogen sulfide is both an irritant and a
chemical asphyxiant with effects on both oxygen utilization and the central nervous
system. Its health effects can vary depending on the level and duration of exposure.

Repeated exposure can result in health effects occurring at levels that were previously toler-
ated without any effect. Low concentrations irritate the eyes, nose,
throat and respiratory system (e.g., burning/tearing of eyes, cough, shortness of breath).
Asthmatics may experience breathing difficulties. The effects can be delayed for several
hours, or sometimes several days, when working in low-level concentrations. Repeated
or prolonged exposures may cause eye inflammation, headache, fatigue, irritability,
insomnia, digestive disturbances and weight loss.

TB announced today that it will be another 30 days before they offer buyouts to residents... No one can place an exact date on the statue of limitations.

I just checked google earth and noticed they rosaries the sinkhole area in the last few months. They have the sinkhole and what was the berm.

All 3 LA10 helicorder plots are mostly blank for most of the morning today. Maybe they are doing some work there. There are spots where it comes back and then goes again.

The cavern is supposed to be filling up fast, so I wonder what effect that will have on the helicorders down there because the properties of the surrounding area will possibly affect the recordings. I mean air would be different from rock I guess.

Originally posted by qmantoo
All 3 LA10 helicorder plots are mostly blank for most of the morning today. Maybe they are doing some work there. There are spots where it comes back and then goes again.

The cavern is supposed to be filling up fast, so I wonder what effect that will have on the helicorders down there because the properties of the surrounding area will possibly affect the recordings. I mean air would be different from rock I guess.

Those 3 seismos have been screwy since Friday afternoon. According to IRIS, they are located at 53 meters, 117 meters, and 134 meters down the borehole--which is well above the top of the cavern.
But, all of this recent micro seismicity could have very well pinched/cut/shorted out the transmission cables. Or maybe the equipment at the surface has been submerged due to the ground sinking? Who knows...

Station LA 14 has become an unreadable mess since Saturday afternoon.

I am really curious to see new pictures or read any updates from the area. The major players (Texas Brine, LA DNR, etc) seem to have clammed up.

Governor orders probe of sinkhole company 20may13

Citing a lack of cooperation from the company he says is responsible for the nearly 1-year-old Assumption Parish sinkhole, the governor ordered an immediate review Monday of all its salt-brine caverns.
...
Texas Brine officials promised to buyout residents who were forced to evacuate their homes, but it hasn’t followed through on those promises, Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a Monday afternoon news conference held in Belle Rose.

“It has become clear that Texas Brine is trying to run out the clock on the citizens of Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou by hiding behind insurance companies, lawyers and lobbyists,” Jindal said in a news release. “That is unacceptable. Texas Brine is responsible for the sinkhole, and they need to clean up the mess they’ve made and do right by the people of Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou by issuing long overdue settlement offers.”

Texas Brine blames the settlement delays on its insurance carrier, according to a letter signed by Bruce Martin vice president of operations. He says there’s no time line on when the offers will be made.

Open letter to residents about inability to offer buyouts

I reckon Texas Brine will file for bankruptcy because it knows that this disaster has no end in sight. See the warning signs in this governors review. He is already making suggestions that they cannot pay. WATCH THE STOCKS and see if the major shareholders are selling their shares.


Jindal orders review of all Texas Brine permits - Gov. cites company's 'inability to meet' commitments 20may13

Jindal issued the Executive Order in regard to the company whose salt mine collapsed into a massive sinkhole last year, noting that the review would determine if Texas Brine was financially fit.

I am really curious to see new pictures or read any updates from the area. The major players (Texas Brine, LA DNR, etc) seem to have clammed up.

Any news on this from anyone who lives there please?

Like posted before, it is starting to become a showdown. I have the letter sent to all residents from Texas brine about buyouts. I'll post when I get home.

Update, just noticed it was already posted lol

SB200 has failed to pass the Senate in Louisiana. It is a no go on salt cavern moritorium.

Originally posted by qmantoo

I am really curious to see new pictures or read any updates from the area. The major players (Texas Brine, LA DNR, etc) seem to have clammed up.

Any news on this from anyone who lives there please?

Well, I don't live down south, but this is what little I could dig up today; found in the Inspection Reports for the 17th through the 20th:

May 17: Code 3 at the sinkhole, slight hydrocarbon odor downwind, no access to ORW #7 & 8

May 18: Code 3 at the sinkhole, new bubble site reported by John Boudreaux near well SN 45657, water being removed from ORW #2

May 19: no code listed for sinkhole, no access to ORW # 5, 7, & 8, water being pumped from ORW #2 & 26, and a small burp on the west side of the sinkhole along the pipeline right-of-way.

May 20: no code on sinkhole listed, drilling on Geophone well 586' down, into cap rock.

And the casing pressure of Oxy 3-A continues to slowly rise: 518 psig on the 17th, up to 526 psig yesterday.

That's all I've found...

Interesting video from Brochovich. Hopefully since this is posted in Huffington Post more attention will be drawn to this sinkhole.

Erin Brochovich

Things are heating up, Jindal is back & addressing the buyouts and Texas Brine dragging their feet.