Invisible disaster: Infrared images from the Environmental Defense Fund show a huge plume spewing from the ground.
Two years ago today, the largest U.S. methane leak was discovered. The leak in northwest Los Angeles County focused attention on the state’s aging gas wells.
Disaster snapshot
The leaky well was one of 115 wells connected to a subsurface storage reservoir in the Aliso Canyon gas field. The field has been used for natural gas storage since 1973 and is the fourth largest facility of its kind in the U.S.
8,000
Approximate home evacuations to date
112
Days since gas leak was reported until it was stopped
48
Number of Aliso Canyon wells drilled before 1953
109,000 metric tons
Estimated number of tons of methane leaked. Considered a large environmental disaster due to harmful emissions.
Very small
The risk of health effects to those exposed to the gas leak, according to the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
Scale of the leaking
Hydrocarbon leak rate, in metric tons per hour
Total methane released over time in metric tons
Then and now
What the SoCalGas well was like that leaked on the left and what they are doing to increase safety on the right. New elements in bold.
Most used fuel in California
Natural gas is used to generate electricity as well as to heat people’s homes. In 2013, 64.4 percent of the homes in California used natural gas, compared with 48.3 percent nationwide.
The latest events
A look at some notable events this year regarding the gas leak:
Feb. 8: The Southern California Gas Co. agrees to pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by air quality regulators in 2016.
February: A Porter Ranch physician says a pattern of health symptoms emerged among the almost 50 patients he’s followed since the 2015 gas leak. He hoped other doctors in the area, as well as outside researchers, would collaborate with him on a long-term study.
July: James Mansdorfer, who was formerly responsible for managing SoCalGas’ storage wells and reservoirs, told state regulators he was concerned that movement on the Santa Susana fault would “almost surely sever the casing” and tubing of every gas well at Aliso Canyon, “resulting in release of gas at a rate of 100 to 1,000 times the rate of the SS25 leak.”
July 29: A state appeals court lifts a temporary hold on injections at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, overriding the concerns of Los Angeles County and clearing the way for the Southern California Gas Co. to resume injections there.
July 31: Despite concerns raised by residents and Los Angeles County leaders, SoCalGas resumes natural gas injections at Aliso Canyon wells. The company has completed all safety measures to do so.
August: Nearby residents say they are bracing themselves for the worst after SoCalGas announced that it had “started the process to resume limited injection operations” after approval from state gas and utility regulators and days of legal wrangling with Los Angeles County.
Oct. 14: High levels of uranium, lithium and a synthetic chemical used to make plastics were present in the urine and hair samples of residents who live near the natural gas leak, according to results released by a local physician.
Sources: EPA; California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services; Energy Information Administration; Environmental Defense Fund; Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources; California Air Resources Board; Southern California Gas Co.
Source : ocregister.com