Residents Run From Risks as Bayou Corne Sinkhole's Protective Berm Sinks

This update is the 18th article in this Opednews series about the Bayou Corne sinkhole.

BACKGROUND: In Spring of 2012, Louisiana's Corne and Grand Bayou residents noticed strange bubbling in the bayou for many weeks, and they reported smelling burnt diesel fuel and sulfur. Suddenly a sinkhole the size of three football fields appeared on Aug. 3, swallowing scores of 100-foot tall cypress trees. The sinkhole resulted from the failure of Texas Brine Company's abandoned underground brine cavern. The Department of Natural Resources issued a Declaration of Emergency on Aug. 6, and 150 families were evacuated. 

For maps, diagrams and additional information, please see the seventeen previous installments in this series, listed at the end of this article.

NAPOLEONVILLE, LOUISIANA: A portion of the berm around the unprecedented sinkhole in Bayou Corne, built to keep contaminated water from the sinkhole from seeping into the surrounding bayou area, is now underwater. On Monday June 4, about 400' - 500'  of the berm apparently sank approximately six feet. Some residents who have stayed through the ordeal since August 4, 2012, are now leaving.

The Bayou Corne sinkhole disaster is an unprecedented event. Therefore no one has past experience with a sinkhole of this magnitude, so there is no previous experience that might direct activities toward containment or effective resolution.

Additional information is available in Tuesday's Opednews.com update at Berm Collapses at Expanding Bayou Corne Sinkhole (Update)

WBRZ news reports:

Previous articles in this series:
17. Berm Collapses at Expanding Bayou Corne Sinkhole (Update) (June 4 2013) click here 

16. Bayou Corne Sinkhole: Micro-Earthquake Activity Halts Work (May 8 2013)  click here

15. Haunting Video Shows Trees Descending into Bayou Corne Sinkhole (April 20, 2013.) click here

14. Experts Called in To Tackle Bayou Sinkhole Devastation (April 12, 2013.)  click here

13. Sinkhole Update: Explosive Gases Found in Adjacent Residences  (April 4, 2013) click here=164803&submit=Back

12. Bayou Sinkhole Update: Increased Seismic Activity, Access Ramp Caves In  (March 28, 2013) click here

11. Bayou Corne Sinkhole Swallows 25 More Trees (March 26, 2013) click here=164412&submit=Back

10. Over 90 "Micro" Earthquakes Overnight at the Bayou Corne Sinkhole (MAR. 13, 2013)  click here

9. Nightmare Sinkhole Out of Control,  Cave-ins Continue at Bayou Corne (Feb. 13, 2013) at click here

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