The utility, which operates the well located at the Aliso Canyon storage facility near the community of Porter Ranch, said Thursday it had finished drilling a relief well and began pumping heavy fluids to temporarily control the flow of gas out of the leaking well.
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The leak reported October 23 at an old well in the utility’s Aliso Canyon underground storage facility sent a plume of methane, visible by infrared camera, into the sky and blanketed San Fernando Valley suburbs with intermittent foul odors.
The announcement is the first sign that an end to a leak that’s emitted more than 2 million tons of greenhouse gases-the equivalent of putting half a million more passenger vehicles on the road for a year-is in sight. After wells in the area ran dry, the field was converted in the 1970s to store natural gas.
“With so many lives affected over the past four months, the news of finally stopping the leak will allow this community to begin breathing a healthy sigh of relief”, Englander said.
If convicted, the company could be fined up to 25,000 dollars for each day it failed to notify the state Office of Emergency Services about the leak.
Now that the flow of gas has been stopped, the process of “killing” the well has begun.
After the cement dries, which could take several days, a five-part test that includes measuring temperature and pressure down the well and using a microphone to listen for leaks will determine if it is sealed.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, said residents should be able to have confidence in the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, the agency doing the safety testing.
Once state inspectors certify it is sealed and the air is clear, the utility only has to pay for seven more nights of lodging for residents who relocated to short-term housing. People in apartments and rental homes can finish out their leases, if they choose.
“Now comes the critical process of making sure this doesn’t happen again and holding the company accountable”, Tim O’Connor, EDF’s director of California oil and gas, said.
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Others, however, remain skeptical and wary of returning.
