Catastrophic California Gas Leak Could Take More Than Three Months To Fix

Environment





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A natural gas leak in Aliso Canyon is spewing more than 50,000 kilograms (110,000 pounds) of gas into the atmosphere every hour. YouTube/Environmental Defense Fund

A natural gas leak in Aliso Canyon, California, has been spewing out 50,000 kilograms (110,000 pounds) of gas every hour for more than two months, and officials say it could take another three to four months to bring the situation under control.

The leak first occurred on October 23, when the casing of a gas storage well operated by Southern California (SoCal) Gas failed. Strangely, the cause of this failure is not known, and attempts to stop the flow of gas by pumping liquid directly into the well in order to seal the rupture have been unsuccessful.