BATON ROUGE (AP) — The state has ordered new steps to minimize risk of exposure to natural gas under property where a large
sinkhole formed in August in Assumption Parish.
The Louisiana Office of Conservation on Monday issued the new round of directives to Texas Brine Co. LLC, which had operations
at an underground salt cavern, where it extracted brine for nearby petrochemical facilities.
The state says data shows the sinkhole is linked to the collapse of a side wall in the cavern.
Texas Brine has been ordered to install a network of observation wells and pressure monitoring wells in the area. Conservation
Commissioner James Welsh also ordered Texas Brine to install in-home methane detectors and upgrade ventilation systems for
slab-foundation homes and buildings in the area where underground gas has accumulated.
"The steps outlined in this directive will
give us an added layer of protection in ensuring public safety and move
the response
effort closer to bringing the lives of the residents of the Bayou
Corne area back to normal," Welsh said in a news release.
About 350 area residents are under an evacuation order.
Welsh said the additional requirements are
based on analysis by the Office of Conservation and consultants with
Shaw Environmental
and Infrastructure of conditions where natural gas pressure has
been detected. Welsh said that monitoring of slab-based structures
in the area has shown no accumulation of natural gas in homes.