Porter Ranch gas leak could be capped this week

Aerial view of the Aliso Canyon gas leak, two months after the incident began.

Aliso Canyon gas leak may finally be stopped

The natural gas leak that has been plaguing the Los Angeles region since October 2015 might finally be capped this week, officials say.

The leak at a facility operated by Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) was originally detected back near Porter Ranch in October but still has not been completely stopped as of yet. Last week, an advisor for California Governor Jerry Brown, Wade Crowfoot, said that the leak could be capped by the end of this week.

Crawfoot did caution, however, that the timeline is a “best-case scenario,” and could be delayed if there are any unforeseen problems with the plan.

SoCalGas under pressure

SoCalGas has been drilling a rescue well about 8,500 feet below the layer of rock that holds to problematic gas store. The final phase of the process is set to begin today, and it can’t come any sooner for the beleaguered utility company.

SoCalGas was hit with a number of lawsuits last week due to the utility company’s connection to the ongoing leak. And more are expected to surface.

Once the leak is capped, focus will likely shift to Porter Ranch residents and their ability (or lack thereof) to safely return to residences and resume life as normal.

Source → Southern California Public Radio (SCPR)
Photo Credit: Photo by Earthworks / CC BY 2.0