Here are videos of the flyovers done this morning. You can see the sinkhole is increasing. I noticed the yellow lines are now all the way at the edge of the pad. You can also see they moved all the various equipment that was at the edge, it is no longer on that pad. Notice how water is in the trees surrounding the hole without trees.
The drilling platform that Texas Brine is doing. You can see the sinkhole in the background.
Also here is the complete situation report, copied from this link.
Assumption Parish
Operational Situation Summary
• Emergency Management:
– Parish Emergency Declared – 19 June 2012
• Extended 30 days on 19 July 2012
• Extended 30 days on 17 August 2012
– State Emergency Declared – 3 August 2012
– LA Hwy 70 Open for traffic
– Mandatory Evacuation still in effect
– Security plans in place to secure slurry area
– Parish continues blog to inform residents
– Parish shelter still available for use by residents
– Daily decontamination of water craft at Pad #3
– Civil Air Patrol provided weekly overflight for photography
– Texas Brine issuing financial assistance for residents – Sheriff Sub station in
Pierre Part - HOTLINE 1-877-281-7311
– Facilitating the askGOHSEP@la.gov for questions
– Will participate in town hall meeting at 6:30 pm 24 Aug 12
Monitoring TS Isaac as it progresses
Assumption Parish
O i lSi i S
• Public Operational Situation Summary
Safety:
– LSP providing air craft support for daily over flight
– LSP providing HAZMAT support
– LSP HAZMAT Forward Command Post co-located at
drill site as of 08/17/2012 for 24/7 operations
– LDWF providing air boat support daily to parish
– No market or recreational hunting or fishing in
restricted area
– LSA Command Post on site
Assumption Parish
Operational Situation Summary
• Department of Natural Resources:
– All pipelines shut in and empty; confirmed pipelines not source of bubbles
– Investigation of plugged and abandoned oil and gas wells in area performed
– Slurry area developed on 3 Aug 2012
– Slurry area 200’northwest of Texas Brine pad
– Ordered Texas Brine to drill investigatory well
– Office of Conservation issues permit for well to be drilled
– Slurry area currently 476’ NW to SE; 640 NE to SW; 295 E to W
– Diesel and salt water present at slurry area
– Staff has reviewed 34 hydrocarbon storage and 23 brine cavern wells and
associated cavern files which represents 97% of the cavern wells on the dome
– Continuing source investigation and file reviews
– EPA will be conducting low flying overflights to detect gas via infrared imagery –
set for Saturday, 25 August 2012
– Oxy Well #9 will conduct standard sonar test to check for presence of diesel pad
Assumption Parish
Operational Situation Summary
• Department of Natural Resources (continued):
– Personnel reporting daily for continuing operations and providing staff to assist incident
commander
– Coordinating and providing information to science team
– Emergency Use Authorization issued by Coastal Management
– Diesel clean up has been suspended until further notice
– DNR LNO assigned to the LSP Forward Cmd Post at well site 1800 08/17/2012 providing
24/7 oversight of drilling operation
– Drilling Status: Completed driving 20-inch drive pipe to 352 feet –Spud well 8/19/12—
preparing to run 16-inch casing to 610’
– Crosstex has discontinued entry of new product into cavern for the 15 day period and has
started moving product from cavern 2 to cavern 1 or to market
– Chevron is in the process of mobilizing equipment and reconfiguring their system in order to
move natural gas out of their cavern by the injection of salt water
– Science team confirms Commissioner of Conservation’s decision requiring investigatory well
is appropriate action based on information available and also raises no concerns regarding
the stability of the Crosstex Caverns
– DNR made an official request via WebEOC for the assistance of experts from the
Geomechanics Department of the Sandia National Laboratory who are knowledgeable in salt
cavern construction, stability and operation
Assumption Parish
Operational Situation Summary
• Department of Environmental Quality
– Monitoring and sampling for Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials
(NORM) with no dangerous readings to date.
– Diesel and dissolved natural gas confirmed in water at slurry site;
chlorides slightly elevated at surface samples; data for deep samples
also shows elevated Salinity as well as indicators of Natural Gas
condensate as expected.
– Air monitoring for VOC’s (Diesel) continues with no dangerous levels
detected off site (1000’ away).
– Mobile Air Monitoring Lab (MAML) continues to collect daily air samples
in the Bayou Corne community.
– On going Water sampling/water quality monitoring in Bayou Corne and
Grand Bayou indicates no water pollution associated with the incident to
date.
– Water quality monitoring in Bayou Lafourche indicates no water
pollution associated with the incident to date.
– Air monitoring has been conducted at 96 private properties with no
dangerous readings to date.
Assumption Parish
O i lSi i S
• Department (continued)
Operational Situation Summary
of Environmental Quality DEQ personnel reporting daily for continuing operations including collecting air
samples and conducting air monitoring using handheld equipment in the
community and in the areas of bubbling in Bayou.
– Collected additional water samples from water wells (9 wells) on several facility
properties. Samples have been sent for analysis.
– Collected air samples for isotopic analysis as part of the gas collection activities
at the gas seep (bubbling sites), well site, and potential industrial sources
– In conjunction with Assumption OEP and other state agencies, monitor Texas
Brine’s efforts to ensure that the slurry site is safe to resume diesel remediation
– Provide continual oversight of Texas Brine’s air monitoring efforts during drilling
operations. EPA START contractors are contributing to this effort as of 8/23/12.
– Provide oversight and review of Texas Brine’s water quality monitoring efforts.
– Conduct air monitoring at the Texas Brine facility using hand held instruments
with EPA START assistance.
– Continue to visually monitor conditions of the booms and general conditions of
the slurry area from the well pad.
– DEQ LNO assigned to the LSP Forward Cmd Post at well site beginning
08/17/2012
Assumption Parish
Operational Situation Summary
• DHH / Office of Public Health
– Air Monitoring
• The Section of Environmental Epidemiology
and Toxicology has received and reviewed air
monitoring data from 8/15/2012-8/21/2012
• A letter summarizing the results is forthcoming.
Assumption Parish
Operational Situation Summary
• DHH / Office of Public Health
– Slurry Sampling
• The Section of Environmental Epidemiology
and Toxicology has received preliminary
sample data for additional parameters for
slurry samples collected on 8/15/12.
• Letters are forthcoming on results of testing
Assumption Parish
O ti lSit ti S
• DHH Public Operational Situation Summary
/ Office of Health
– Water Well Sampling
• The Section of Environmental Epidemiology
and Toxicology sent 1 letter to Assumption
Parish for water well sampling data (sulfate
and bromide)
–Water Well (Industrial) (Letter 10, 8/23/12)
stating that to date, no completed exposure As
of 24 August 2012
– pathway for the general public has been
identified.
Assumption Parish
Operational Situation Summary
• DHH / Office of Public Health
– Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials
(NORM) Sampling
• The Section of Environmental Epidemiology
and Toxicology has not received any new
NORM data.
• All reviews have been completed and letters
issued with no public health concerns identified
Assumption Parish
Operational Situation Summary
•DHH / Office of Public Health
– Safe Drinking Water
• DHH completed the field survey of all
registered active domestic water wells in
Assumption Parish.
• None were identified as being used for human
consumption.
Assumption Parish
O ti lSit ti S
• Department Operational Situation Summary
of Transportation and Development
– Monitoring and surveying roadways and bridges in
the area for ground movement
– Developed a traffic contingency plan if needed
– Establishing GPS monitoring system
– Continuous monitoring stations are concentrated on
Hwy 70 from the Bayou Corne bridge East to LA Hwy
996 to include a ½ mile stretch of LA Hwy 69 from the
intersection of LA Hwy 70
Situation Summary
• USGS:
– Seismic tremors ceased at approximately 2:00 pm on 2 August 2012
– Source of seismic activity estimated between 200 and 600 meters deep
– Continuing to monitor seismic activity at the six seismograph locations
w/ all activity detected since 8/2/12 believed to be man-made
– USGS confirms no seismic activity in the area of the butane caverns
– Representative of the science group discussed dome mechanics and
surveys for investigatory well with representative of USGS and Sandia
National Lab
• LGS:
– Mississippi alluvial aquifer exists from 150’ to 400’ below surface above
the salt dome
Assumption Parish
S i ifi Si i S
– Scientific Workgroup Scientific Situation Summary
theories of cause:
• Salt Dome moving – natural migration of gas
• Failed cement casing in OXY #3 well
• Cavity Failure
• Salt / Caprock falling from top of the cavern
– Natural
– Man-made (including penetration into sediments by cavern)
• Gas storage cavern connections, communications by fractures
• Low permeability seepage of gas into OXY #3 (source unknown)
• Regional Tectonic activity (movement on growth faults)
• A combination of above events
Next Operational Period (24-27 Aug 2012)
Incident Action Plan
• DNR :
– Drilling of investigatory well to conduct cavern integrity test being
conducted by Texas Brine pursuant to Office of Conservation order
– Perform 24/7 oversight of drilling operation
– Staff on standby to assist Assumption Parish Incident Commander with
monitoring of bubble sites and other duties
– Reviewing analysis of water samples from water wells screened in
Mississippi River Alluvial aquifer
– Continue source investigation and file reviews
– Coordinate and provide information to science team
– DNR LNO assigned to the LSP Forward Cmd Post at well site 1800
08/17/2012
– Maintain contact with EPA for overflight data received
Next Operational Period (24-27 Aug 2012)
Incident Action Plan
• DEQ:
– Continue to conduct air monitoring in the community and in the area of the
bubbling in Bayou
– Continue to monitor air quality daily using the Mobile Air Monitoring Lab (MAML)
– Conduct any test required by scientific group to aid in source/cause identification
– Provide oversight of Texas Brine’s efforts to resume diesel remediation at the
slurry site.
– Provide continual oversight of Texas Brine’s air monitoring efforts during drilling.
– Provide oversight and review of Texas Brine’s water quality monitoring efforts.
– Continue to visually monitor conditions of the booms and general conditions of
the slurry area from the well pad.
– Conduct air monitoring using hand held instruments to verify air monitoring data
collected at the drilling site and to conduct air monitoring around the site.
– Focusing on flow measurements from abandoned water well.
Next Operational Period (24 - 27 Aug 2012)
I id tA ti Pl
• DHH Public Incident Action Plan
/ Office of Health
– DHH will continue to review and analyze
environmental sample data as provided by the
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
(LDEQ), for any chemical findings that would
indicate a potential public health risk.
– DHH Safe Drinking Water Program will continue
to monitor the incident for any reports of the
expansion of the slurry/hole to ensure that water
distribution underground piping is not
compromised.
Next Operational Period (24 - 27 Aug 2012)
Incident Action Plan
• DHH / Office of Public Health:
– DHH/OPH will continue to participate in meetings
with GOHSEP and Assumption Parish to maintain
visibility and operational readiness for any
potential public health concerns.
– DHH will be participating along with the other
state agencies in the open house for citizens
being held on Friday night, at 6:30 p.m. at St.
Joseph the Worker Church in Pierre Part.
Next Operational Period (24-27 Aug 2012)
Incident Action Plan
• Scientific Group:
– Scientific Group phone conference is scheduled for
8/29/2012
– Analyzing groundwater sample analyses
– Evaluate issues as they arise
– Continue to provide information to the UCG
– Anyone can submit information at any time for
science team evaluation by sending an email to
askgohsep@la.gov
– Additional members added to the team as needed
Assumption Parish
Long Range Plan
• DNR:
– Texas Brine conducts drilling of well in accordance with order
– Scientific Group conference calls/meetings will be scheduled weekly to review
new data and issues that arise
– Continue source investigation and file review
– Evaluate results of monitoring data and take necessary action
– Monitor drilling operations of investigatory well 24/7
– Staff on standby to assist incident commander
– Total remediation of the entire site
– Evaluating the optimal location to install ground water observation wells in the
Mississippi Alluvial aquifer to determine the presence of natural gas
• DEQ:
– Continue to conduct sampling on air and water in area of operation
– Monitor drilling operations of investigatory well 24/7 including assistance with
EPA START (Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team)
– Total remediation of the entire site
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