25-foot section of pipe floats to surface of sinkhole - KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana

25-foot section of pipe floats to surface of sinkhole

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Posted by WAFB Staff - email
(Source: Assumption Parish Police Jury) (Source: Assumption Parish Police Jury)
BAYOU CORNE, LA (WAFB) -

Officials say cleanup continues at the site of the massive sinkhole in southeast Louisiana.

There was a short period of time that Highway 70 was closed Thursday morning while a flare was checked at Crosstex. Assumption Assumption Parish officials say the morning flare had nothing to do with the sinkhole or bayou bubbling. According to parish officials, the flaring will start back Thursday afternoon and last through the night.

Earlier this week, crews installed three vent wells around the Bayou Corne- Grand Bayou area to get a better understanding of what is causing it to get bigger. The vent wells detect the presence of gas in the ground nearby.

Assumption's Office of Emergency Preparedness director John Boudreaux says other scientific tests are finally helping them connect the dots between Texas Brine's abandoned salt dome, the sinkhole, and the bubbles that have been in the water since may.

"The sinkhole as well as the cavern itself has crude oil both in the cavern and on the surface, and those two actually match as far as isotopic analysis. It also matches the natural gases that's within the cavern as well as the natural gas that is bubbling in the waterways," said Boudreaux.

A 25′ section of pipeline (from Acadian Gas' pipeline) floated to the surface Wednesday on the edge of the pipeline right-of-way. The pipeline was emptied previously which made it become buoyant and since the sinkhole occurred there is no earthen cover to keep the pipeline submerged. The risks associated with this incident is for workers in the sinkhole – that they don't run into/over the floating pipe. Safety measures are being taken at the site to avoid the risk.

Copyright 2012 WAFB. All rights reserved.

  • 25-foot section of pipe floats to surface of sinkhole

  • The Assumption Parish, LA sinkhole continues to grow. The ground opened up on August 3, 2012 and residents were evacuated from their homes. The sinkhole, or slurry, is consuming land and trees. Many images are from the Assumption Parish Police Jury. Click here to see the photos from August until now.