Photo: Earthworks. This leak is particularly hard to fix. This natural gas reservoir located in the Aliso Canyon facility in California is about 8,500 feet deep and the leak is in a well 500 ft underground. The well is 61-years-old and one of the biggest in the USA. The leaked methane is seeping into the surrounding soil and rocks and eventually into the air, spreading far and wide. So far several attempts at plugging the leak have failed and it is estimated to take at least another couple of month before it gets repaired.
Being dubbed as one of the largest methane gas leaks ever, the California Gov. Jerry Brown has been forced to declare a state of emergency as Los Angeles residents have started to show health concerns. Thousands have started to evacuate the city.
It is estimated at this rate and by the time the methane infused leak is completely stopped, another 9-10 million metric tonnes equivalent of carbon dioxide will have been released into the environment.
Source: The Huffington Post, Mother Jones
