Enormous Sinkhole Opens in Louisiana Bayou

B. McPherson

Ordinary people are out of their homes and businesses are shut down. Who is responsible? Where is the radiation coming from? It the butane storage compromised?
Grand Bayou, Louisiana is home to a brand new salty, murky lake. No one wants to take responsibility for the enormous sinkhole that has swallowed 100 foot long cypress trees. Bubbles have marred the surface of the bayou since May, but no answers came from the environmental investigations.

Now there is diesel floating on the surface of the salty water. Natural gas pipelines cross this area, but the gas companies have had divers checking the pipes since bubbles were reported and they were intact. 

Eyes have now turned to the Texas Brine Company which mines brine from a large underground salt dome. They use the sodium chloride for industrial purposes. The brine company has been ordered to drill an exploratory well to see if their brine claim has been compromised. Their estimate of time it will take – 40 days. Sounds a bit Biblical.

The hole which has not grown since Saturday, is currently 372 feet across and 422 feet deep.

It is emanating low levels of radiation, but ‘experts’ have told the locals that there is nothing to worry about with low levels of radiation. As a precaution, about 150 people have had to evacuate homes and businesses. The operators of the gas pipelines have been asked to depressurize the lines after one was twisted in the mystery hole.

Residents are expressing their lack of confidence in the state authorities and have been left apprehensive of natural gas explosions ever since an incident in 2003 which saw people evacuated from an area close to natural gas storage in a salt dome. The gas was escaping and bubbling into the water wells. Chevron currently uses three salt dome formations to store nearly 13 billion cubic feet of gas, at least one of which is filled with liquid butane.

Most homeowners have no control over industrial operations that take place under ground. Industrial operations have been blamed for ground shaking and sinkholes forming.

“Residents have also been reporting earthquakes but despite a battery of tests conducted by federal, parish and local officials, no one has been able to figure out the source of the tremors.

Randy Rousseau, who lives in Grand Bayou and owns a body shop in Belle Rose, said he's noticed tremors for years. He eventually moved out of his house because he didn't feel safe and has been unable to sell it because the property value plummeted after several small sinkholes opened up in his yard.” Daily Mail UK
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2186880/Louisiana-sinkhole-Enormous-400ft-deep-hole-swallows-100ft-tall-trees-raises-concerns-explosions.html

Location: Baton Rouge, LA, USA

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