Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Porter Ranch Gas Leak Update: Company finds underground position of leaking well
Listen
• 0:50
Crews from SoCalGas and outside experts work on a relief well at the Aliso Canyon facility above Porter Ranch on Dec. 9, 2015. Once the relief well is connected to the leaking well, SoCalGas will pump fluids and cement into the bottom of the leaking well to stop the flow of gas and permanently seal the well.
(
Dean Musgrove/Los Angeles Daily News via AP
)
The yellow dots show locations where residents have complained of smells coming from a leaking natural gas well in the Aliso Canyon gas storage field.
(
Southern California Air Quality Management District
)
After two months of trying to shut down a leaking natural gas well north of Porter Ranch, Southern California Gas Co. reported it has pinpointed the underground position of well SS-25 — a first step to plugging it.
"When these wells are drilled, they’re not always exactly, exactly straight down. They may veer off slightly from straight," said SoCal Gas spokeswoman Melissa Bailey.
Plotting the underground coordinates of the well accurately enough to drill a second and third well to intercept and plug it nearly 8,000 feet underground is a challenge.
Oil and gas wells tend to veer farther off a straight line the deeper the drilling goes, she said. The energy industry has a name for that tendency: "the ellipsoid of uncertainty."
Support for LAist comes from
Experts hired by SoCal Gas lowered a tool down the new well that generates a magnetic field to detect the underground location of the leaking well. "Active magnetic ranging" was also used to locate and plug BP's massive ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
The yellow dots show locations where residents have complained of smells coming from a leaking natural gas well in the Aliso Canyon gas storage field.
(
Southern California Air Quality Management District
)
The well has been leaking since Oct. 23 - and it could be months more before it's plugged and nearby residents return home. More than 2,000 families to relocate to temporary homes outside the area at the company's expense. Two Los Angeles Unified School District campuses are also to be relocated after the winter break until the leak is stopped.
The process involves digging two rescue wells. The first is 3,800 feet deep, and is expected to continue drilling to 8,000 feet below earth so brine, gravel and other materials can be sent down to stop the leak. Drilling of a second well is set to begin in January.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzOTZweCIgd2lkdGg9IjY0MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding.
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline.
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist