Source Of California Gas Leak That Caused Mass Health Issues, Evacuations Identified By Investigators
A new report points to a corroded well lining at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility near Los Angeles as the culprit behind the environmental catastrophe in 2015 and 2016. The investigation also says SoCalGas, the company that runs the facility, failed to properly inspect 60 other well leaks.
The New York Times:
Corroded Well Lining Caused Aliso Canyon Gas Leak That Displaced Thousands, Report Says
For more than 100 days in 2015 and 2016, gas leaked out of the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility near Los Angeles — the largest known leak of methane in United States history. More than 8,300 households were evacuated, and people exposed to the gas reported nosebleeds, dizziness and respiratory problems. This week, California regulators said they now knew why the environmental catastrophe happened. (Zaveri, 5/17)
Reuters:
California Utility In Big 2015 Gas Leak Had Failed To Probe Leaks For Decades
The California utility responsible for a massive, 4-month-long gas leak near Los Angeles in 2015 failed to investigate dozens of leaks over decades at the natural gas storage facility, according to a state report released on Friday. The long-awaited report found that groundwater corroded a 7-inch well casing and made it to rupture, causing the leak. Because Southern California Gas, a unit of Sempra Energy, had failed to investigate and analyze leaks since the 1970s, the consequences of such corrosion were not understood, leading to the 2015 incident, the report found. (Groom, 5/17)
