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Texas Brine Investigatory Well Reaches Abandoned Brine Mining Cavern

Begins gathering and analyzing data on structure and contents

BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation James Welsh said today that Texas Brine was successful in entering its abandoned cavern at the Napoleonville Salt Dome Saturday evening. The entry allows the investigation into the causes of the natural gas bubbling and the sinkhole to continue.

Upon entering the cavern, Texas Brine encountered natural gas pressure and successfully reduced it through controlled flaring. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) took samples of the natural gas and is working to identify any possible links to the natural gas found in other areas of Assumption Parish. Samples will also be provided to the Shaw Group so the company’s experts can assess them and remove natural gas in the Bayou Corne area.

All data from the drilling and natural gas sampling will be reported to the Science Work Group for further inspection. The Science Work Group’s recommendations will drive further testing of the cavern structure and its mechanical integrity, contents and pressure. Additionally, the Office of Conservation oversaw Texas Brine on Sunday as it pulled drill pipe out of the well and prepared to send down equipment that will assess the cavern’s conditions. The Office of Conservation will continue to maintain a 24/7 presence at the site to ensure public safety and the safety of crews working on the well.

“Reaching the cavern clears the way for gathering and analyzing a great deal of new information that will move our investigation toward a solution. We will work as quickly as possible to get these results, and this information will be posted on DNR’s website as soon as it is confirmed. Our top priority remains finding the cause of the sinkhole so we can get this area cleaned up and back to normal,” Welsh said.