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Video: Watch The Porter Ranch Gas Leak Get Plugged
To call the gas leak that plagued Porter Ranch a nuisance would be a gross understatement. After a four-month long ordeal that displaced several thousand people from the area and sickened humans, pets, and wild animals, the leak was finally plugged on Thursday.
The video above, shot and posted by the California Air Resources Board, is a time-lapse that represents about seven minutes, shot between 7:40 and 7:47 a.m. on Thursday.
According to a statement on the ARB's website, an infrared camera was pointed toward the top of the leaking well in Aliso Canyon on Thursday morning, about 200 feet above and 1,100 feet northwest of the leaking well. The camera started recording at 6:35 a.m., and rolled until 9:25 a.m.
The video demonstrates that the flow of methane from the site of the leaking well was halted at approximately 7:45 am, and did not reappear for the duration of the video recording. Additional video was taken at 3:50 p.m. and confirms the initial control of the well leak. As of Friday, February 12, the well has not yet been permanently sealed.
So while getting the damn thing plugged is a big deal, and an enormous relief that it finally happened, it's not 100% over yet. Five tests must be completed (and passed) by the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) to confirm that the leak has been totally sealed. So hold onto your hats: the CDC just says, "It cannot be predicted how long the Division's overall confirmation will take."
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